Born in Orange, New Jersey to Surinamese parents, Nijman was raised in nearby Maplewood and played prep football at Columbia High School.

[2] Nijman later played one semester as a strongside defensive end with the Blue Devils while at Fork Union Military Academy, graduating in 2015.

[4] After playing four years at Virginia Tech, Nijman was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent on May 3, 2019.

[10] On November 26, he was promoted to the active roster;[11] however, on December 21, he was placed on injured reserve after suffering an elbow injury that would keep him out for the rest of the season.

He missed several snaps during their Week 15 matchup with the Cleveland Browns, being replaced by fourth-string tackle Ben Braden, but returned later during the game.

[21] On January 9 against the Detroit Lions, the Packers named five-time All-Pro David Bakhtiari the starter for the game after he missed nearly the entire regular-season with a knee injury sustained the previous year.