GREEN BAY, Wis. — Montana wide receiver and return specialist Junior Bergen on Saturday was picked by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Bergen, a Billings Senior graduate, was the 36th selection in the seventh round, and the No. 252 overall pick.
With the Grizzlies, Bergen especially stood out as a returner. He finished his career with eight punt return touchdowns, tied for the most in FCS history. His average yards per punt return was 16.71, which set a program record.
Related: ‘Truly a blessing:’ Montana’s Junior Bergen putting cherry on top of dynamic, record-breaking career
The 5-foot-11, 184-pound Bergen finished his career with 4,468 all-purpose yards, sixth-most in Griz annals. He had 1,760 career receiving yards, placing him in the top 25 in the program record book.
A three-time All-American and multi-time All-Big Sky performer, Bergen’s career included a legendary run of three return touchdowns in the 2023 playoffs to help lead the Griz to the FCS national championship game that season.
San Francisco general manager John Lynch told reporters Saturday that first-year 49ers assistant special teams coach Colt Anderson had an influence in the team drafting Bergen.
Anderson “kept talking about this kid from Montana and really (sold) him to us,” Lynch stated in a video posted to the 49ers website. “Ultimately at the end it’s like, OK, are we going to have a chance at free agency if we don’t draft him? Is someone else going to draft him at the end?”
“Ultimately I do think there’s added value with returners with the adjustment to the kickoff and the touchbacks coming all the way out to the 35. People are going to be less inclined to just kick it through the end zone — more return opportunities. So to have a dynamic returner is a good thing.
“He’ll go in there and compete. He’s done it really well at the smaller-college level, and now he’s going to get an opportunity to do it with us.”
Bergen is the first Montana Grizzly to be drafted since defensive end Tyrone Holmes was taken by Jacksonville in the sixth round in 2016.
Bergen is the first Billings player to be drafted since defensive end and West High School product Dylan Donahue was chosen by the New York Jets in the fifth round in 2017 out of Division II West Georgia. Bergen is the second from Senior High to be drafted, following Pete Lazetich in the second round by the Chargers in 1972.
The selection of Bergen meant that two Montanans were picked in the 2025 NFL Draft. Montana State’s Tommy Mellott was taken by the Las Vegas Raiders in the sixth round, the 213th overall selection.
In all, six former Big Sky Conference players were drafted. The others were former Sacramento State running back Cam Skattebo was taken the fourth round by the Giants, while ex-UC Davis linebacker Teddye Buchanan also went in the fourth round to the Ravens. Sac State offensive lineman Jackson Slater went in the fifth round to the Titans, and former Idaho defensive back Marcus Harris went in the sixth round, also to the Titans.
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