Syracuse offensive lineman finishes at No. 1 ahead of CFL Draft on May 2

TORONTO (April 21, 2023) – Syracuse University offensive lineman Matthew Bergeron has climbed to top spot in the Spring Edition of the Canadian Football League (CFL) Scouting Bureau. The native of Victoriaville, Que., moved up from fifth place in January’s Winter Edition. Bergeron and his fellow draft-eligible prospects will now wait to hear their names called in the highly anticipated 2023 CFL Draft on Tuesday, May 2, beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

The CFL Scouting Bureau, comprising CFL scouts, as well as the player personnel directors and general managers from the league’s nine clubs, annually releases its rankings in the fall, winter and, for a third and final time in the spring, ahead of the CFL Draft.

CFL SCOUTING BUREAU: SPRING EDITION
​(Rank (Previous) | Name | Position | School | Hometown)

• 1 (5) | Matthew Bergeron | OL | Syracuse | Victoriaville, Que.
• 2 (1) | Chase Brown | RB | Illinois | London, Ont.
• 3 (2) | Sydney Brown | DB | Illinois | London, Ont.
• 4 (3) | Tavius Robinson | DL | Mississippi | Guelph, Ont.
• 5 (4) | Sidy Sow | OL | Eastern Michigan | Bromont, Que.
• 6 (6) | Jared Wayne | WR | Pittsburgh | Peterborough, Ont.
• 7 (7) | Dontae Bull | OL | Fresno State | Victoria
• 8 (9) | Jonathan Sutherland | DB | Penn State | Ottawa
• 9 (8) | Lwal Uguak | DL | TCU | Edmonton
• 10 (12) | Francis Bemiy | DL | Southern Utah | Montreal
• 11 (15) | Michael Brodrique | LB | Montreal | Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, Que.
• 12 (–) | Cole Tucker | WR | Northern Illinois | DeKalb, Ill.
• 13 (10) | Lake Korte-Moore | DL | UBC | Ottawa
• 14 (14) | Clark Barnes | WR | Guelph | Brampton, Ont.
• 15 (11) | Siriman Bagayogo | DB | Guelph | Bois-des-Filion, Que.
• 16 (13) | Anthony Bennett | DL | Regina | Weston, Fla.
• 17 (20) | Phillip Grohovac | OL | Western | Victoria
• 18 (18) | Jacob Taylor | DB | Alberta | Beaumont, Alta.
• 19 (16) | James Peter | LB | Ottawa | Ottawa
• 20 (–) | Dayton Black | OL | Saskatchewan | Brandon, Man.

BY THE NUMBERS

• The Spring Edition includes:
  • Five offensive linemen
  • Five defensive linemen
  • Four defensive backs
  • Three wide receivers
  • Two linebackers
  • One running back
• 18 schools are represented in the rankings with two schools featuring multiple players:
  • University of Illinois (No. 2 Chase Brown and No. 3 Sydney Brown)
  • University of Guelph (No. 14 Clark Barnes and No. 15 Siriman Bagayogo)
• 11 from the NCAA; nine from U SPORTS
• All nine first-round selections in the 2022 CFL Draft appeared in last season’s Scouting Bureau: Spring Edition

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TOP-5 SPOTLIGHT

1 (5) | MATTHEW BERGERON | OL | SYRACUSE | VICTORIAVILLE, QUE.

• 2022 season: team captain, 11 games, allowed four sacks in 686 snaps, penalized three times
• 2022 Second Team All-ACC and AP All-ACC Second Team
• Offensive line allowed teammate RB Sean Tucker to rush for second-straight 1,000-yard season in 2022; Tucker was the first player in program history to record back-to-back seasons with 1,000+ rushing yards and 250+ receiving yards
• Participated in the Reese’s Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine
• Collegiate career: 39 starts at offensive tackle; first freshman to start at tackle for the Orange in nearly 20 years

2 (1) | CHASE BROWN | RB | ILLINOIS | LONDON, ONT.

• 2022 season: 1,643 rushing yards (fourth-most in the NCAA), 13 touchdowns (10 rushing, 3 receiving), 5.0 yards per carry and ten 100+ rushing yard games
• Finalist – Doak Walker Award as the top running back in college football in the U.S.
• Second Team selection on all five official All-American Teams
• 2022 Jon Cornish Trophy winner
• Participated in the Reese’s Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine
• Transferred to Illinois from Western Michigan
• Collegiate career: 47 games, 3,558 rushing yards, 521 receiving yards and 21 total touchdowns

3 (2) | SYDNEY BROWN | DB | ILLINOIS | LONDON, ONT.

• 2022 season: 59 tackles (40 solo, 19 assisted), six interceptions (first in the Big Ten; second in the NCAA), seven pass breakups, 3.5 tackles for a loss and one sack
• 2022 USA Today All-American Second Team, PFF All-American Third Team, All-Big Ten First Team (coaches) and All-Big Ten Second Team (media)
• Participated in the Reese’s Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine
• Collegiate career: 51 games, 319 tackles (186 solo, 133 assisted), ten interceptions, ten tackles for a loss and 26 passes defended

4 (3) | TAVIUS ROBINSON | DL | MISSISSIPPI | GUELPH, ONT.

• 2022 season: 13 games started, 44 tackles (17 solo, 27 assisted), seven sacks, five forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries
• Participated in the Reese’s Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine
• Three seasons with Mississippi: 90 tackles (36 solo, 54 assisted), 11.5 sacks, 14 tackles for a loss and five forced fumbles (second most in the FBS)
• Prior to Mississippi, two seasons at University of Guelph: 65 tackles, 13.5 sacks, 2018 OUA All-Rookie Team and 2019 OUA Second Team All-Star

5 (4) | SIDY SOW | OL | EASTERN MICHIGAN | BROMONT, QUE.

• 2022 season: 13 games started, allowed two sacks in 949 snaps; Eagles finished first in MAC in red zone offense (93.9 per cent) and third down percentage (44.9), and second in team passing efficiency (137.9)
• 2022 and 2021 All-MAC First Team and 2020 All-MAC Third Team
• Participated in the 2023 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and the NFL Combine
• Eastern Michigan all-time leader in games played (56) and games started (54)