Syracuse offensive lineman Matthew Bergeron was selected with the 38th pick in the second round of the NFL Draft the Atlanta Falcons on Friday, becoming the first Orange player to come off the board.

Bergeron becomes the highest Syracuse selection in 10 years (Justin Pugh, 19th overall in 2013 by the New York Giants). Atlanta last selected a Syracuse player (Sterling Hofrichter) in 2020.

Here's a breakdown of Bergeron's NFL selection.

Bergeron has a lot of college snaps under his belt, so he is experienced but he’s relatively new to the game compared to other linemen drafted in this class and gives him a ton of upside. He can be a potential starter at some point in his career.

He grades significantly better as a pass blocker. He only had 33 positive rated run blocks in 2022. When you watch the film, he doesn’t strike you as a guy who struggles at run blocking. I think he can excel at it, but a lot of it had to do with the way the offense was run.

You just love the big body and athleticism that you see on film. He’s one of those guys who moved up when scouts saw him play at the Senior Bowl.

--Rivals National Recruiting Analyst Clint Cosgrove

The Atlanta Falcons finished the 2022 season 7-10 and missed the playoffs for the fifth straight year. It was the first time since 2007 that Matt Ryan was not under center, and the Falcons replaced him with Marcus Mariota, who appeared in 13 games, the most he had played since the 2018 season.

Atlanta had one of the more controversial 2023 NFL Drafts, as they selected Bijan Robinson with the eighth overall pick. While Robinson was a unanimous All-American and the Doak Walker Award winner, the Falcons already have depth at that position with 1,000+ yard rusher Tyler Allgeier returning.

But head coach Arthur Smith said he plans on using the duo in a “sledgehammer” and a “contact/balance” mix in a throwback to the smashmouth 90s football era.

The Falcons are currently 26th in NFL odds to win the 2024 Super Bowl.

Bergeron made an immediate impact as a freshman at Syracuse in 2019. The Canadian became the first freshman to start at tackle for SU in nearly two decades, playing first string for five of 12 games.

He became a full-time starter in his sophomore season, splitting starts between right tackle (3 games) and and left tackle (8).

Bergeron emerged as an elite offensive lineman in his 2021 campaign, as he earned All-ACC Honorable Mention status after starting all 12 games at left tackle. ESPN Advanced Stats showed SU averaged four yards per carry off his left tackle spot, tops in the ACC, and he was part of an OL that paved the way for the fifth most rushing yards in a single season in school history (2,562).

In his senior season, Bergeron was named Second Team All-ACC and advanced stats ranked him as one of the top linemen in the ACC. He graded fourth highest among ACC lineman according to Pro Football Focus, and blocked for Sean Tucker as the running back eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark for the second straight year.

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