Matthew Bergeron NFL Draft Overview
Position: Offensive Line (Tackle or Guard)
Weight: 318 pounds
Height: 6′-5″
School: Syracuse
2023 NFL Draft: Matthew Bergeron Scouting Report
After spending the entirety of his collegiate career at Syracuse, Matthew Bergeron is officially ready to declare for the 2023 NFL Draft. The tackle is coming off what could very well be the best season of his career. Seeing the field for 686 snaps, the Quebec native finished the year allowing five sacks, four hits, and three hurries.
Bergeron originally joined the Syracuse program in 2019 and spent his true freshman year as a backup. However, he earned the starting job in 2020 and started to make a name for himself. When all was said and done, the tackle finished his second season allowing four sacks, no quarterback hits, and 11 hurries on 666 snaps. He experienced some dramatic progression in 2021, allowing just one sack, one hit, and nine hurries on 784 snaps.
Strengths
- Fundamentally sound, smart player that isn’t going to lose his leverage;
- Played both tackle positions throughout college at an equally impressive level;
- Won’t get fooled by stunts or other pass-rushing moves;
- Plays with the ferocity you love to see from the position;
- Thick build allows him to hold up to stronger rushers despite smaller size;
- Destroys linebackers on the second level.
Weaknesses
- Small arms and height for tackle – might have to play guard;
- Can be grabby against speedier pass rushers;
- Loses too much power on his punches;
- Lateral movement could be better;
- Better as a run blocker than a pass blocker.
NFL Comparison: Jonathan Martin
Teams With Need at Position: Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, New York Giants
Projection: Round 2
Bottom Line on Matthew Bergeron
Matthew Bergeron is a good football player that can help out a team in a variety of ways. The offensive lineman played a lot during his college years, and all that experience is readily on display whenever you turn on his tape. He’s fundamentally sound and doesn’t make too many big mistakes, which is always key for an offensive lineman. Additionally, he has experience at both tackle positions, and versatility is always a plus for any prospect. While he is small for a tackle, he carries a lot of weight and knows how to move with it, so he shouldn’t have too hard of a time matching up with the strongest rushers the NFL has to offer.
However, there are a few red flags here, most of which pertain to his size. As mentioned earlier, Bergeron has the weight to play tackle, but he might not have the height or arm length. Some players can get away with smaller builds, but there is a chance Bergeron will have to move to guard at the professional level. That’s not a dealbreaker with him, as he should thrive in that role, but it goes without saying that you’d rather have a good starting tackle than a good starting guard.
We can already see the shortcomings associated with his build on his tape. As mentioned earlier, he carries a lot of weight relative to his height, and that excess mass shows up when he’s moving laterally. While he’s far from a liability, he can’t always match the speedy edge rushers, which leads to holding penalties. This is unrelated to his size issues, but he also could use some fine-tuning as a pass blocker. His punches don’t always land, causing him to lose power and get driven back into the quarterback.
Ultimately, Matthew Bergeron is going to be a good player for some NFL team. The only question is where he’s going to play. Some team will give him a chance to compete at tackle, and he should compete to start right out of the gate. However, if the speed of NFL rushers is too much for him, then he can simply move to guard and spend the next decade as a starting-caliber interior lineman.
Main Photo: Kirby Lee – USA Today Sports
