Junior Bergen
American football player (born 2002)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Junior Bergen (born October 23, 2002) is an American professional football wide receiver and return specialist for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL).[1] He played college football for the Montana Grizzlies and was selected by the 49ers in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL draft.
Billings, Montana, U.S.
| No. 86 – San Francisco 49ers | |
|---|---|
| Positions | Wide receiver, return specialist |
| Roster status | Active |
| Personal information | |
| Born | October 23, 2002 Billings, Montana, U.S. |
| Listed height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Listed weight | 184 lb (83 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Billings Senior (MT) |
| College | Montana (2021–2024) |
| NFL draft | 2025: 7th round, 252nd overall pick |
| Career history | |
| |
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Early life
Bergen is the 6th of 8 children in his family. His father, Simon Bergen, is a former Billings Outlaw player of the Indoor Football League.[2]
He attended Billings Senior high school, where he played basketball and football. He played as a receiver in his sophomore and junior year, and primarily as a quarterback in his senior year. At that role, he was a dual threat, throwing 1,186 yards and 13 touchdowns, and rushing for 905 yards and 17 touchdowns. He was listed as a two-star recruit by 247Sports, and had college offers from several schools. Bergen initially committed to Montana State before deciding to accept a full scholarship at the University of Montana.[2][3] He reportedly had not determined at the time which position he was going to play.[4]
College career
He began studying and playing at the University of Montana in 2021. He played his freshman year as a running back, where he had nearly 500 yards, before switching to receiver halfway through the season. He also was named the team's punt returner near the end of the season. Despite never previously fielding a punt, he averaged 17.5 yards per punt, the second highest in the Big Sky Conference.[3][2]
In his sophomore year, due to injuries, Bergen did have a slight decrease in yard production, though he did increase his punt and kick return attempts from 8 to 26.[3]
In Bergen's junior year, he led his team in receptions with 58. In the FCS semi final, he also set a school record with his 5th punt return for a touchdown in his career, and he threw the game winning two points attempt in the FCS semi final. This led him being named to the AP second team All-American all-purpose player and first-team All-Big Sky receiver & punt returner.[3] In the FCS championship game, Bergen had four receptions for 25 yards in the 23-3 loss against South Dakota State.[5]
By the end of Bergen's senior year, he held the school record for most average yards per punt return with 16.71, and he set the FCS record for most punt returns for a touchdown with 8. He finished his college career with 4,468 all-purpose yards, the 6th most in University of Montana history. He was an honorable mention all-purpose player for the FCS All-America team.[3][6]
College statistics
| Season | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Kick returns | Punt returns | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Ret | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Ret | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | |
| 2021 | 12 | 21 | 230 | 11.0 | 74 | 1 | 118 | 493 | 4.2 | 28 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 140 | 17.5 | 37 | 0 |
| 2022 | 11 | 17 | 214 | 12.6 | 47 | 4 | 14 | 42 | 3.0 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 90 | 22.5 | 33 | 0 | 22 | 327 | 14.9 | 72 | 2 |
| 2023 | 15 | 59 | 791 | 13.4 | 76 | 5 | 6 | 40 | 6.7 | 21 | 0 | 15 | 434 | 28.9 | 99 | 1 | 28 | 429 | 15.3 | 59 | 3 |
| 2024 | 13 | 48 | 542 | 11.3 | 55 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 454 | 21.6 | 41 | 0 | 10 | 240 | 24.0 | 84 | 3 |
| Career | 51 | 145 | 1777 | 12.3 | 76 | 13 | 139 | 577 | 4.2 | 28 | 4 | 41 | 978 | 23.9 | 99 | 1 | 68 | 1136 | 16.7 | 84 | 8 |
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 9+1⁄2 in (1.77 m) | 184 lb (83 kg) | 30 in (0.76 m) | 9 in (0.23 m) | 6 ft 0+1⁄4 in (1.84 m) | 4.52 s | 1.59 s | 2.70 s | 4.22 s | 7.00 s | 36.5 in (0.93 m) | 10 ft 0 in (3.05 m) | 17 reps |
| All values from Pro Day[7][8] | ||||||||||||
Bergen was not invited to the NFL Combine. However, he did participate in the University of Montana's pro day on April 3, 2025. Notably, his 40-yard dash time was within the top 10 receivers who participated in the NFL Combine, and his 17 bench presses would have been tied for third for all receivers.[7][9]
Bergen was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the 252nd overall pick in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL draft.[10] Though he was listed as a wide receiver in the draft, according to the head coach of the 49ers Kyle Shanahan, the team intends to have him play as a return specialist.[9] On May 9, Bergen signed a four-year contract with the 49ers worth $4.3 million.[11] He was waived on August 26 as part of final roster cuts and re-signed to the practice squad the next day.[12][13]
On January 20, 2026, Bergen signed a reserve/futures contract with San Francisco.[14]