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Bears Draft Jordan van den Berg, First South African Draftee

4/26/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Chicago Bears used No. 213 pick on April 25, 2026, after trading seventh-round picks to Buffalo, to select tackle Jordan van den Berg.
Van den Berg, NFL’s first South African draftee, earned All-ACC honors in 2025 with 44 tackles, 11 for loss and three sacks.
GM Ryan Poles said the trade left Chicago with no picks left and hopes van den Berg will improve a defense ranked sixth-worst against the run last season.

History

Historical Context

In 2017 the NFL introduced the International Player Pathway (IPP), succeeding the 2004-2009 International Development Practice Squad Program. By 2020, 19 of 32 teams had signed international players and roughly 3% of active players were foreign-born. Using that pipeline, Bears GM Ryan Poles traded 2026 seventh-round picks for South African tackle Jordan van den Berg, the league’s first African draftee.

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Story summary

Chicago Bears used No. 213 pick on April 25, 2026, after trading seventh-round picks to Buffalo, to select tackle Jordan van den Berg.
Van den Berg, NFL’s first South African draftee, earned All-ACC honors in 2025 with 44 tackles, 11 for loss and three sacks.
GM Ryan Poles said the trade left Chicago with no picks left and hopes van den Berg will improve a defense ranked sixth-worst against the run last season.

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