Bergen, Harris, and Casey get shots in the NFL

Three Montana Grizzlies earned their shot in the NFL on Sunday with record-setting return man and receiver Junior Bergen being selected in the seventh round of the NFL Draft, hyper-productive defensive end Hayden Harris signing as a free agent, and offensive tackle Brandon Casey earning a rookie mini camp invite soon after the draft concluded.

Bergen, a native of Billings, was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers with the 36^th pick in the final round of the draft. Grizzly Sports Hall of Famer Colt Anderson, now a special teams assistant with the 49ers, was reportedly instrumental in bringing the pick to fruition.

Harris, a Seattle area native, signed an undrafted free agent contract with the defending AFC East champion Buffalo Bills. Harris had also been named as a potential first round draft pick in the Canadian Football League.

Casey, a Pacific Northwest native from Sandpoint, Idaho, will travel to Seattle for a rookie mini camp with the Seahawks. Former Grizzly Patrick O'Connell is currently a linebacker for the Seahawks.

Bergen is the first former Grizzly to be selected in the draft since receiver Samori Toure was a 7^th round pick in the 2022 draft by the Green Bay Packers. He's now the 55^th draftee in Montana program history – a Big Sky-best mark. Together Bergen and Harris are now the 160^th and 161^st players, respectively, to move on to the pros from Montana.

Bergen capped his legendary career at Montana as one of the all-time greats in maroon and silver, tied for the most punt return touchdowns in NCAA FCS history with eight to his name. He also now holds the UM school record for average yards per punt return at 16.71 (1,136 on 68 returns) to pass former NFL All-Pro Marc Mariani's average of 15.01. That average of 16.71 per punt return lands him third in Big Sky history behind EWU's Cooper Kupp (17.0) and Weber State's Randle Anderson (18.48).

His average was bolstered by a pair of return TDs against Tennessee State, finishing his senior season at 24 yards per attempt (10-240), a new school record and the second-best average in Big Sky history behind Ellis Onic of UNC who averaged 24.5 (10-245) yards per return in 2015. They were also the fourth and fifth return TDs of his career in the playoffs alone.

As an all-purpose threat, Bergen earned All-Big Sky honors at receiver, kick returner, and punt returner in his career. He finished his time at Montana with 4,468 all-purpose yards, placing him sixth all-time in Grizzly history. All those touchdowns place him in UM's top 25 all-time in points scored as well with 164, and he finishes top 13 in total touchdowns with 26. He's also top 25 all-time at UM in receiving yards with 1,760.

He earned FCS All-America honors from both the Associated Press and Stats Perform and was named the FCS Athletic Director's Association Return Specialist of the Year.

Bergen perhaps had the best overall Pro Day among the former Grizzlies. He had great numbers on the bench with 17 reps, which would have been tied for third among receivers at the combine. His shuttle time of 4.22 and three-cone time of 7-flat would have been top 10 marks, and his 36.5-inch vertical would have been a top 20 mark.

In just two years at UM, Harris developed into the Big Sky's biggest disruptors on the defensive front in 2024, leading the league in forced fumbles with three, finishing second in the league with two fumble recoveries, and third in the league in sacks and tackles for loss to earn second-team all-conference honors.

He finished his career at UM with 21.5 TFLs to tie him at No. 28 all-time in program history in that category. His 21.5 TFLs were responsible for 126 lost yards for opposing offenses, and his total of 84 tackles made one in every 4 of his stops a TFL.

He earned second-team all-conference honors and was named both the team's Defensive MVP and the recipient of the Sims-Miller Award for outstanding D-lineman following a stellar senior season.

Harris was named to the Canadian Football League Scouting Bureau's top 20 Canadians eligible for the 2025 CFL Draft, ranked at No. 9. He was born in Seattle but his mother hails from Regina, Saskatchewan.

He trained for Pro Day in Annapolis, Maryland, at the U. S. Naval Academy and was also invited to attend a Seahawks Pro Day in Seattle. Also a star in the classroom, Harris was an CSC Academic All-American and All-District teams as a senior and earned Academic All-Big Sky honors as well.

Harris also had a standout UM Pro Day among D-Ends with his shuttle speed of 4.51, which would have been a top six mark at the NFL Combine.

Casey was a mainstay on the Grizzly offensive line as a three-year starter at right tackle with 43 career starts to his name. He earned All-America honors from both Stats Perform and the Associated Press after his senior season, and was a first-team All-Big Sky honoree as well, and was named the team's Paul Weskamp Award winner for the outstanding offensive lineman. He helped pave the way for the some of the most prolific rushing attacks in program history, racking-up 2,741 yards this season – the most UM has rushed for in the past four years and a top 20 rushing offense in the FCS. He also helped the Griz move the chains 305 times to date in 2024, a four-year high and the No. 7 first down offense in the FCS.

Also a star in the classroom, Casey was an Academic All-District pick that maintained a 3.53 GPA while earning an undergraduate degree in management & entrepreneurship and his MBA from the UM College of Business. Was also a four-time Academic All-Big Sky honoree.

University of Montana Athletics

Players Mentioned

Junior Bergen

Brandon Casey

Hayden Harris

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