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Why the Jordan van den Berg Pick Earned an 'A,' and It's Not Just the 10.0 RAS Score
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Why the Jordan van den Berg Pick Earned an 'A,' and It's Not Just the 10.0 RAS Score

Chicago Bears On SI·Pete Martuneac·about 1 month ago
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Before today, Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles had traded up in the NFL draft just one time, and that was for Tyrique Stevenson in 2023. But Poles has now traded up not once but twice in the 2026 NFL draft. First, he moved up in the fourth round for cornerback Malik Muhammad , who already looks like a Day 3 steal. Just a few hours later, Poles moved up again, this time selecting Georgia Tech defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg in the sixth round . The Bears are making a bet on athletic upside Zachary Taft-Imagn Images I'll be blunt: van den Berg's stat sheet is nothing to write home about. He recorded just 5.5 sacks in five seasons, and three of those came in 2025. But sixth-round picks aren't for drafting guys with gaudy numbers (those prospects are all long gone anyway). These picks are for taking bets on freak athletes with sky-high upside, and that's van den Berg to a 'T'. Originally from South Africa, van den Berg grew up playing rugby before taking up football once his family moved to America.…

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