Matthew Bergeron defying the odds as Canadian NFL draft pick
VICTORIAVILLE, Québec (BVM) – Matthew Bergeron made history during the 2023 NFL Draft as one of the highest-drafted Canadians in NFL history. Born in Montreal and raised in Victoriaville, Bergeron’s journey to becoming the No. 38 overall pick is now inspiring Canadian-born football players who want to get noticed at the highest level.
Bergeron was in Québec when he got the call from the Atlanta Falcons during the second round of the draft. The 23-year-old has only played four years of American football – which he spent at Syracuse – and ultimately joined the rare group of Canadians who made it to the NFL.
A total of 63 players from Canada have been selected in the NFL draft since the start of the Super Bowl Era in 1966 through the 2020 draft, according to data collected by 3DownNation. An additional 12 were selected between 2021-23 – totaling 75 Canadians drafted in the modern era.
Additionally, the NFL had only 13 Canadian-born players across the 53-man NFL rosters in 2022 (not including injured/practice squads), as reported by the Sports Business Journal. While Bergeron now adds to that number for the 2023 season, he’s also a part of the five Canadian prospects who were selected in the 2023 NFL Draft – which set a new record for the highest number drafted in a single year.
“There’s definitely a growth in football in Canada and I’m glad to be part of it,” Bergeron said. “Whenever I come back home, [I] see more and more kids sign up for football and I feel like that’s the result of all those [past guys drafted that are] setting an example for the kids out here and now there’s more and more kids signing up. I’m in those shoes myself now. Chase Brown, Sydney Brown, Tavius Robinson, Sidy Sow – we’re in those shoes now and hopefully, we’ll motivate the younger generation (in Canada) to sign up for football.”
Bergeron knows all too well that many top football talents go unnoticed in Canada. After all, Syracuse was literally his only NCAA college offer. So, Bergeron proposed a solution for NCAA-level recruits.
“What might need to change is maybe have a camp in Canada and have [American] college scouts come up [to us],” Bergeron said.
Bergeron acknowledged that, “Since there’s such a big pool of players in the United States, it’s hard for teams to come up and scout players north of the border.”
So, he has some advice for young Canadian football players.
“I feel like the best route if you want to get recruited is just go down to those summer camps and go in there and compete,” Bergeron said. “You might not get an offer on the first one, but if you go to a few in the same summer, you might get some looks.”
Bergeron, who was raised by a single mother, feels fortunate that he was able to attend that life-changing Syracuse camp back in 2018.
“[Growing up], it was a different dynamic in a single-parent household,” Bergeron said. “My mom did everything she could so I didn’t miss anything. My mom signed me up for all the sports that I ever asked to get signed up for.”
Bergeron believes that Canadian-born players can one day dominate in numbers in the NFL. But, he said it’ll take more Canadians simply believing in themselves.
“There’s going to be people who tell you it’s not possible based on where you’re from and where you played football, but if you believe in yourself and your head down and work, anything is possible,” Bergeron said.
In terms of the future, Bergeron said he isn’t shy of returning to Canada to play in the CFL someday in the distant future.
“If something doesn’t go my way in the NFL, I can come back and play in the CFL one day,” Bergeron said. “Back in the day, the CFL was my dream. Now I have the chance to play in the NFL and I’ll make the most of this opportunity.”
Bergeron said “I’m grateful to be Canadian,” and noted that he’s ready to start another part of his life in Atlanta with the Falcons. The 6-foot-5, 318-pounder is making the transition from tackle to guard.
“[The Falcons] like my versatility at the position,” Bergeron said. “Ever since that phone call, it’s been straight work in getting to know the playbook.”
