FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Unlike most of his fellow rookie class, second-round draft pick Matthew Bergeron had a daunting adjustment to make in his first NFL season: learn to play a new position.
Bergeron played tackle throughout his career at Syracuse. At a Senior Bowl practice, he took a few snaps at guard, beginning what became a positional transition after the Atlanta Falcons drafted him in April.
He knew it was going to be a different expectation of pacing and learning. After Matt Hennessy got injured early in training camp, it became clear he was going to have to learn on the field with the first team instead of in the background.
Bergeron went on to start every game for Atlanta at left guard, playing 1,153 snaps at the position. His progress was vast and is reason to believe he could take a large jump in 2024.
"I feel like when I watch those first games, those old games, I feel like I'm a different player," Bergeron told ESPN. "I'm growing in all different areas and my confidence is growing as well. So I think [the] word to describe it is just growth."
The area he's noticed the most? Pass protection. At the beginning of the season, he felt pushed back more often, but it improved as the season went on.
His guard pass block win rate of 90.9 was tied for No. 37 with the Indianapolis Colts' Will Fries and Jacksonville Jaguars' Ezra Cleveland, and his run block win rate of 65.0 was 72nd. Among qualifying rookie guards, he was second in pass block win rate behind Buffalo Bills guard O'Cyrus Torrence and ninth among qualifying rookie guards in run block win rate.
His offensive line coach, Dwayne Ledford, said the speed and adjustment to a "different game" inside versus out at tackle were the biggest alterations.
His study habits, Ledford said, made it clear he had a shot to develop fast.
At the beginning of the season, Bergeron said he was "a little bit more of a grabber," which could lead to penalties and his opponent beating him. In Week 2, he had 12 run block losses and four pass block losses according to ESPN Stats & Information -- some of his highest loss totals of the season. But as he went on, he kept his hands inside more often for better technique.
Right tackle Kaleb McGary and center Drew Dalman were ruled out of the Falcons' December game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In the first half, both left tackle Jake Matthews and right guard Chris Lindstrom left with injury.
While Lindstrom eventually returned, there was a point where Bergeron was the only starter blocking for then-starting quarterback Desmond Ridder.
"Usually I had Jake out there making all the calls and I got Drew and I'm just rolling," Bergeron said. "Now I got Tyler [Vrabel] and I had [Ryan] Neuzil and it was more communication-wise, maybe I saw something and I communicated it to those guys.
"So I do feel like, 'Oh, I know my stuff now.'"
He learned he could hold his own even if he wasn't surrounded by veterans.
He'll rep on the same pass sets this offseason and is considering training with Lindstrom and defensive lineman Joe Gaziano.
Ledford said the best thing for him will be the weight room and workouts.
"There's always going to be growth in the weight room," Ledford said. "As you physically mature you're naturally going to get a little bit stronger, but also just the weight room, especially the position of the guard and the guys you're playing with.
"You're always going to be working on your hands, your hand placement, your feet, but also that intent going into that weight room knowing in Year 2, what lies ahead of you."