Germie Bernard NFL Draft 2026 Scouting Report for Pittsburgh Steelers WR

Damian ParsonDec 4, 2025

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Alabama WR Germie Bernard with the No. 47 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.

Germie Bernard is a physical and intelligent wide receiver who gives defenses fits working in the middle of the field. He projects as a complementary weapon alongside an established number one receiver in the NFL.

Bernard makes his money working between the hashes. If there is a soft or vulnerable spot within the defensive coverage, he will find it. NFL teams will love his run-blocking reps and physicality there.

He is a former 4-star recruit in the 2022 class. Bernard began his career at Michigan State. He transferred to Alabama ahead of the 2024 season. In his first season in Kalen DeBoer's offense, Bernard caught 50 passes for 794 yards and two touchdowns.

Dame Parson is the lead host of the Locked On NFL Draft podcast. He also serves as co-host of the Scouting Room NFL Podcast alongside Daniel Harms.

Highlights

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Where He Wins

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- Muscular frame with good play strength. Bernard displays good contact balance with the ball in space, leaving defenders in a position of conflict and bringing him down on the first attempt. He is a physical playmaker with good acceleration in the open field, generating yards after the catch and contact.

- Bernard is a refined route runner with precision cuts at the breaking point of his stem. He understands pacing and leveraging to create pockets and space between himself and the defensive back. He excels at attacking defenses between the hashes in the MoF—in-breaking routes like dig, shallow crossers, slants, and deep over routes. He has a winnable release package against man coverage using his strength and hands to deflect the DB's punches.

- Attacking and exploiting zone defenses with high-level football IQ and processing. The former Michigan Spartan excels at finding open grass against zone coverages and makes himself available for the quarterback. He has a great feel for space, knowing when to extend his route and sit it down in an open void.

- Bernard's positional flexibility helps create mismatches and easy outlet targets for the quarterback. He aligns in the backfield and every receiver position. Alabama will motion him out of the backfield into the slot or the end of a three-receiver set, generating a mismatch against a safety and/or linebacker.

- Bernard displays strong and reliable hands to pluck the football away from his frame. This shows up on the slot and back shoulder fades. He is a tough, physical playmaker who is not afraid to work into high-traffic areas.

Areas of Improvement

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- Bernard does not possess great top-end speed to win the vertical plane often on the outside. This puts more onus on his technique to defeat tight-man coverage at the line of scrimmage.

- As a YAC threat, his calling card is physicality. Alabama's leading receiver is not overly agile or twitchy enough to consistently make defenders miss in a phone booth at the next level.

- He is a strong and muscular pass catcher, but his length/wingspan is questionable. Bernard has not dominated the contested catch opportunities this season. This must improve to ensure he will maintain his outside receiver tag heading into an NFL offense.