Matthew Bergeron declares for NFL Draft

[MSOrange]

 

[cusefan88]

So...is he playing in the bowl game?

 

[orangepassion]

He was great here on and off the field. Wish him the absolute best. He didn't say anything about opting out of the bowl game, so I assume he's playing

 

[Cusefan69]

He has worked hard and will play in the NFL for a long time. Good luck to him!

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Au revoir and bon chance !!!

 

[Jake]

Go get ‘em big fella!

 

[orange79]

Congratulations, and thank you for being Orange! Kill it up there!

 

[Libero2]

With Garrett being hurt, I think he ends up our highest pick this year.

Good Luck!

 

[rrlbees]

So...is he playing in the bowl game?

My guess would be no since he didn’t mention he was and this sounds like a final thank you and goodbye. Hope I’m wrong but I’d understand if he didn’t.

 

[steve deberg]

They are going to love him at the Senior Bowl and I expect his athleticism to shine through at the combine.

He is a big, mean OT who is equally adept blocking in the run and pass game. He has no injury history, and no academic or characters concerns.

Would not surprise me at all to see him creep up into the top 15-20 picks of the draft.

 

[cusefan88]

My guess would be no since he didn’t mention he was and this sounds like a final thank you and goodbye. Hope I’m wrong but I’d understand if he didn’t.

Agreed. He's a top-50 pick. Probably smart to opt out.

 

[MSOrange]

My guess would be no since he didn’t mention he was and this sounds like a final thank you and goodbye. Hope I’m wrong but I’d understand if he didn’t.

I suspect you're right since he could have announced after the bowl also, which is fine. We'll get a head start on his replacement for next year and he can stay healthy for the draft.

 

[djorange1989]

Love this young man. He has given so much to Syracuse and deserves every good thing that is coming his way. The bowl is going to be a great experience for some of our younger guys. Still hope we pound the stupid little Shady disciple and his loser AD but I am excited to see some important 2023 players get some good run

 

[PhatOrange]

Good luck Bergs!

 

[MSOrange]

 

[MikeSU02]

Another one to the NFL, baby.

Good luck!

 

[MSOrange]

 

[MSOrange]

 

[RF2044]

#Stud

 

[Chip]

Cya. Way to quit on your team. Good riddance


(had to)

 

[sutomcat]

Thanks Matthew. Bergeron has had a really good career here. He is our first real NFL level OL in along time. From what I hear, he has helped mentor the young OL too.

Hope he kills it at the combine and makes a lot of money playing on Sundays. I will be rooting for him.

 

[SUMJF]

Mid to late second round pick projection based on the NFL need for quality tackles.

He will be our highest draft pick since Justin Pugh. Not bad for an under the radar recruit from Canada. The end of his freshman year we all saw the potential. Best of luck no worries he isn’t playing the bowl game get healthy and kill the combine.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[Cuseregular]

Our SyraCruz boy Enrique is headed to LT, a tad earlier than expected, but cool, go get Em Enrique!

 

[CuseLegacy]

Matthew Bergeron | Les yeux rivés sur la NFL

À quelques mois du repêchage, Matthew Bergeron a les yeux rivés sur la NFL. Après quatre saisons avec l’Orange de Syracuse, dans la NCAA, le Québécois de 22 ans est désormais admissible à être sélectionné dans la plus importante ligue de football américain – et il donnera tout dans les prochains...

www.lapresse.ca

A few months before the draft, Matthew Bergeron has his eyes on the NFL. After four seasons with the Syracuse Orange in the NCAA, the 22-year-old Quebecer is now eligible to be selected in the most important league in American football – and he will give everything in the coming months to get there.

https://www.lapresse.ca/auteurs/william-theriault
"Excuse me, there's traffic in California!" Newly represented by the agency Rep1 Sports, the great offensive lineman flew in early December to Orange County, on the west coast of the United States. He has been training there for a few weeks with his agent, some mentors and his physical trainers.

"After the season, it was pretty clear that I was going to make myself eligible for the draft. The only thing was to determine when I was going to do it and the little details that go with it, he explains to us over the phone. Everyone around me expected it. It wasn't a big surprise. »

In California, the Victoriaville native is trying to get used to playing as a right blocker, who has held the left blocker position for two and a half years, to "show scouts" that he is comfortable.

The 6'5", 322-pound prospect also does work off the field: answering interview questions, learning playbooks, watching movies to read NFL defenses... everything goes there.

To do this, he can benefit from the advice of Joe Staley, one of the best left blockers of the last decade, and Garett Bolles, who has played at this position for the Denver Broncos since 2017. Both athletes are also part of the Rep1 Sports agency.


According to various specialized sites, Matthew Bergeron will be able to hear his name in the second or third round of the auction. Visibly focused, he chooses not to pay attention to it. "I have direct information from my agent and NFL teams. This is different. What happens in the media is just people's opinions. »

Proud of his path​

In Syracuse, under the direction of head coach Dino Babers and offensive line coach Mike Schmidt, the Quebecer was recognized for his progression between his first season in 2019 and his last campaign, where he was elected to the Atlantic Coast Conference Second All-Star Team.

"It's hard to pinpoint an exact thing," he says. I've improved at recognizing defenses, I'm more consistent in my footwork or hands. That's the offensive line, having a complete game. »


In preparation for the draft, the Quebecer compares himself to Christian Darrisaw, left blocker of the Minnesota Vikings. « The things they say about me, they said about him. »
Seeing himself as a natural leader, he was named by his teammates as one of the four captains of the program last fall. "I wasn't changing my behaviour to be captain, and people followed me naturally," he says. This is one of my proudest accomplishments. »

A former member of the Filons du cégep de Thetford Mines, Matthew Bergeron, however, did not even think about the NFL before crossing the border.

"When I was in Quebec, I thought it was inaccessible. Then I saw scouts at our practices who were there to watch my teammates Andre Cisco, now a safety with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Alton Robinson, who is on the defensive line for the Seattle Seahawks. I told myself that if I worked hard like them, it was possible. »

Laurent Duvernay-Tardif played in Montreal and Benjamin St-Juste too. Victoriaville, there is no one who made [the NFL] from there. I saw it as inaccessible.
Matthew Bergeron
"If I take the next step, I will serve as an example for young players in the region," he adds. You just have to work hard, have a good work ethic. »

Towards the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine​

On February 4, the great offensive blocker will have the chance to participate in the Senior Bowl, in Mobile, Alabama. This annual tradition brings together the NCAA's top prospects for practices, interviews and an exhibition game.

On February 27, in Indianapolis, will come the famous NFL Combine, where athletes who have made themselves eligible are invited to participate in various physical tests, such as the 40-yard sprint, vertical jump or 225-pound bench press.

Around mid-March, those who have not received an invitation to the Combine or who wish to resume their physical tests will also have the opportunity to do so at Pro Day.

Cornerback Benjamin St-Juste, a native of Montreal, had improved his rating by participating in these events in 2021. He was selected by the Washington Commanders in the third round, with the74th overall pick.

"We have different but similar backgrounds. Benjamin made the Senior Bowl and the Combine, so he went through the same path I'm about to take. It's good to have someone like him just a phone call or message. And LDT, I'm playing the same position as him. I would like to follow in his footsteps. »

At the end of the interview, we asked Bergeron what his goal was for draft night.

"I want to be happy with my performance in the next three stages. It doesn't matter if it's in the first or seventh round, it doesn't matter which team. It's not the starting square one that counts, it's the process. »

FOUR MONTHS BEFORE THE DRAFT​

The next NFL Draft will be held April 27-29, 2023. Consisting of seven rounds, it allows 224 college football players to join one of the 32 teams on the circuit annually.