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More Junior!

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Here ya go....​

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49ers hope Junior Bergen re-creates the magic he made at Montana​

Summarize​
Eric Branch
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.65)]Niners returner Junior Bergen runs drills during rookie camp on Friday in Santa Clara.
Josie Lepe/For the S.F. Chronicle[/COLOR]
Junior Bergen began his career at the University of Montana as a wide receiver, but a slew of injuries during his 2021 freshman season prompted the coaching staff to also use the former dual-threat high school quarterback at running back and punt returner.
Bergen ditched running back duties after his debut season. But it was different when it came to returning punts. That was a skill Montana’s jack-of-all-trades weapon mastered.
“We had some guys go down,” Bergen said. “And then we had some problems back there. Coach put me back there. And the rest is history.”
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Three years after he was asked to return punts for the final three games of the season, Bergen finished his career by matching an FCS record with eight punt-return touchdowns. He set a school record by averaging 16.7 yards on 68 returns and added a kickoff-return score, and his knack for weaving his way into end zones paved an unlikely path to the NFL.
Despite his not possessing blinding speed (40-yard dash: 4.52 seconds) or gaudy receiving stats in the Big Sky Conference (48 catches in 2024), the San Francisco 49ers selected Bergen in the seventh round of the NFL draft last month because he’s elite in an area in which they’ve been awful.
The 49ers and Buccaneers are the only teams that haven’t had a punt-return touchdown over the past 13 seasons — and the 49ers have ranked 20th and 24th, respectively, in punt-return average the past two seasons. Bergen is listed as a wide receiver on the 49ers’ roster, but head coach Kyle Shanahan said he was drafted “to be a returner and try to make the team that way.”
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Can the 49ers afford to provide a roster spot to a wide receiver who probably won’t assist on offense? They’ll find a way if Bergen can re-create the magic he made at Montana, where six of his nine career touchdown returns came in the playoffs.
While Bergen was at his very best in the biggest games, he quickly began creating buzz whenever he went back deep. After he missed the first two games with an injury last year, he returned for a home game against Morehead State and Montana head coach Bobby Hauck said something unusual happened early in the Griz’s 59-2 win: The crowd rose to its feet when Bergen jogged on the field for a punt return for the first time in 2024.
“It just became something I think you could feel it in the sidelines and the stands,” Hauck said. “Punts were not a time for our fans to go to the concession stand. They want to watch Junior because he made it a big deal.”
Those fans were often disappointed last season because opposing punters knew allowing Bergen to field a punt could be a very bad deal. After he returned 50 punts in 2022-23, Bergen returned only 10 punts — averaging 24 yards per runback — as countless kicks landed out of bounds.
“You have to look at it like a respect thing when they don’t kick it to you,” Bergen said. “They understand that you could (score) at any point. But it does get a little boring back there when you don’t get to field any.”
The 49ers drafted Bergen after receiving strong pre-draft intel. Special teams coordinator Brant Boyer learned about Bergen’s tireless work ethic through his son, Brayton, who is a kicker at Montana. And assistant special teams coach Colt Anderson knew he could trust Hauck, who was his head coach at Montana from 2004-08.
Brant Boyer, who went to Montana to put Bergen through a workout before the draft, said Bergen possesses a rare blend of intangibles and elite traits.
“If you want to say he has the ‘it factor,’ I think he does,” Boyer said.
Bergen was effective as a kickoff returner, averaging 23.9 yards on 41 runbacks, but he was drafted because he’s so adept at a more difficult skill. It’s harder to safely secure a punt than a kickoff, and it’s more challenging to weave through traffic because defenders are closer when the ball is fielded.
Hauck, a special teams coordinator at Colorado, Washington and San Diego State who handles those duties for the Grizzlies, quickly realized Bergen had the gift. At Montana, Hauck has also coached Marc Mariani, a seventh-round pick of the Titans in 2010 who made the Pro Bowl as a rookie as a return specialist.
Hauck said he heard the same thing when Bergen and Mariani fielded punts: the sound of silence.
“I like listening to the ball hit their hands,” Hauck said. “If it’s silent when the ball drops out of the sky, they have soft hands. It’s not easy.”
Bergen was a four-sport athlete at Billings (Mont.) High, also taking part in basketball, baseball and wrestling, and his background helped develop spatial awareness, creating a “feel” he has during punt returns which includes an ability to sense openings before they develop.
“Some people have a unique skill to set up blockers, and I always tell our return teams that the returner is the best blocker that you’ve got,” Boyer said. “Some people know how to set them up. Listen, he’s got it.”
Bergen is making a big leap, but he said the jump from the Big Sky to the NFL isn’t daunting. In fact, when asked about his goals, he shared that he wants to reach the Pro Football Hall of Fame, his dream since he was a child.
He starred under the hottest spotlights in college, twice returning two kicks for scores in playoff games, and he doesn’t plan to wilt on the biggest stage.
“There’s a saying that big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games,” Bergen said. “I like to think of myself as a big-time player. When those big time-moments come up, I try to make a play and be at my best.”
 
I was told the ST coach and Colt came to Missoula to work out Junior early on, and then pretty much kept quiet and disappeared. The person I talked to thought the coaches wanted Junior all along after the visit, but didn't want to tip their hand.
 
This article on a projected 53 man roster came out shortly after the draft/rookie signings.

sfstandard.com

49ers 53-man roster projection 1.0: Where their 17 rookies fit in

The 49ers will count on first-round draft choice Mykel Williams to make an immediate impact, but which other rookies could earn starting jobs?
sfstandard.com sfstandard.com

Specialists​

Projected qualifiers (3): K Jake Moody, P Mitch Wishnowsky, LS Jon Weeks
Others: PR Junior Bergen

“The son of 49ers special teams coordinator Brant Boyer plays for Montana, where he was teammates with Bergen, a record-setting return man (also, assistant special teams coordinator Colt Anderson played at Montana). Bergen returned an FCS-record eight punts for touchdowns. He housed three punts on only 10 attempted returns in 2024.

We know that the 49ers aimed at their biggest weaknesses in this draft, and special teams — which finished ranked dead last in 2024 — was one of them. Drafting Bergen, who only has a chance to make the unit as a specialist and not as a receiver, marks a significantly greater level of care for special teams than the 49ers had shown in the past.

The 49ers have one more opening on their 90-man roster. Shanahan has already promised to use it on a kicker to compete with Moody. When the 49ers hold their rookie minicamp next week, they’ll host Louisiana kicker Kenny Almendares for a tryout. He won the 2024 Lou Groza Award, given to the best kicker in college football.”
 
I listened to a 10 minute video on the 49ers mini-camp. Nothing official. I think he said he was surprised at some of Bergen’s receiver work, as he had thought Bergen was only a returner. Ostmo wasn’t mentioned. Said nice things about Wehr of MSU. Another guy was high on Valdez, UW-MSU.
 
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