Falcons finally find long-term fit at left guard in Matthew Bergeron — Rookie Review

After ranking as the No. 1 Canadian prospect entering the 2023 NFL Draft, the Falcons moved up in the second round to draft Bergeron, sending their Nos. 44 and 110 overall picks to the Colts for the No. 38 overall pick.

Bergeron took hold of the starting left guard spot from the beginning of training camp and never let it go. He displayed a steadiness the Falcons haven’t seen at the position in years. In fact, as Scott Bair pointed out in his End of Seasons Awards article, Bergeron ended up playing a team-high 1,129 offensive snaps.

“He is about as good of a rookie in the NFL as you can possibly find,” Lindstrom said of Bergeron. “He’s been a phenomenal addition to our room. His approach, the style in which he plays, how quickly he’s learning. … He’s doing phenomenal.”

According to Pro Football Focus, Lindstrom ranked as the best guard in the league. Bergeron came in at No. 38 overall. He was the fourth-best ranked guard in the 2023 rookie class.

The most significant note about Bergeron’s first year in the league is that prior to said first year, he had never taken a single live-game rep at left guard. Bergeron was a four-year starting tackle at Syracuse. Never once did he take a snap beside the center in college. In fact, the first time Bergeron even took a practice rep at the guard position was at the Senior Bowl last January.

So, everything Bergeron learned about being a professional guard, he learned on the fly and in game-time scenarios. Talk about a trial by fire.

This was also something the Falcons tried with former college-tackle-turned-pro-guard Jalen Mayfield. It didn’t work out for Mayfield as the Falcons parted ways with him last year after drafting him in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft. The pressure was on to make sure that didn’t happen for Bergeron, and it didn’t. The Falcons found success with Syracuse product.

Bergeron was only penalized four times through 17 games, while six sacks and 33 pressures were attributed to him, per PFF. For someone who had the snap count Bergeron did while actively learning a new position against some of the league’s best interior defensive linemen, that stat line is not too shabby for a rookie lineman and is indicative of more positive play to come for Bergeron as his career continues.

“I got used to playing guard; everything happens faster so I…