Most Athletic Defensive Player in NFL Draft Visits Packers

“I definitely feel like I was able to show my explosiveness,” he said afterward. “That’s something I really take pride in. I wanted to be able to translate that into the work I did today.”

Van den Berg isn’t just a workout warrior. He was first-team all-ACC and earned some honorable mention All-American accolades as a senior with 11 tackles for losses as he emerged as one of the top run-stopping defensive tackles in the nation.

Big Man With Big Potential

With that combination, it’s little wonder why the Packers are interested. They have needs on the defensive line, with only Devonte Wyatt and Javon Hargrave being established difference-makers and with Karl Brooks the only other proven depth in a group that includes Warren Brinson, Nazir Stackhouse and Jonathan Ford.

“Just turn on the tape,” Yellow Jackets coach Brent Key said after pro day. “The production he's had the last two years here, the quality young man that he is. By just walking in, he's going to upgrade the character of any locker room, anywhere he goes. And then he's active, he's tough, he's strong.”

Van den Berg started his college career at Iowa Western Community College. The 2020 season was pushed into Spring 2021. He packed on 40 pounds as he made the move from linebacker to defensive line and earned first-team All-American.

From there, he spent three seasons at Penn State before landing at Georgia Tech in 2024. He was second-team all-ACC during his debut season.

“Every play is a street fight to him,” Key said in 2024.

His athleticism is in his DNA. A grandfather, Francois van den Berg, placed sixth in the Mr. Universe bodybuilding competition. The winner was the legendary Arnold Schwarzenegger. A grandmother, Joan Rocci, set South Africa records in swimming.

Jordan Van Den Berg Has Upside

Van den Berg was late to the game. He was born in South Africa, where he played rugby, and came to the United States when he was 10. He didn’t play football until he was a sophomore in high school in Atlanta.

“It took me many years to beg them, beg them, and finally they allowed me to play in 10th grade,” van den Berg told RamblinWreck.com. “When I played in high school, you could see that hunger because I really wanted to play it my whole life.”

He graduated as a zero-star linebacker, which is why he had to go the junior-college route.

“They didn’t have any linebacker spots, and they told me I could walk on and be a defensive end,” he said. “I had no other offers, so I was like, I’ll do anything. I just want to keep playing the game.”

He’ll keep playing the game in the NFL. While he somehow was not invited to the Scouting Combine and is only No. 246 on the Consensus Big Board, he’s on every team’s radar with the NFL Draft just a few weeks away. Green Bay is one of many visits before the draft.

“I would definitely say my pitch is like my motor – my relentless motor,” he said at pro day. “I’m going to keep going, no matter what. I’d also say that another thing is I had 11 TFLs – led all Power 4 conference (teams) in TFLs this year. So, I feel like that shows my explosiveness being able to spike up the field and make tackles.”

One of the top offensive linemen in the draft can attest to that.

“I blocked him every day,” standout guard Keylan Rutledge said at pro day. “I know what he's about. One of the best d-linemen that I ever played with – for sure, played against. He's a baller. I think everybody who was here saw what we knew.”

A star on the field, he also was Georgia Tech’s first Academic All-American since 2002 and earned his master’s degree.

He used his NIL money to open a laundromat.

“Thankfully, now with NIL, we are able to get paid and get some money,” he said via SI.com. “So, I wanted to set something up for the future. So, I invested my money and I bought a laundromat.”

Packers Predraft Visits