Germie Bernard

Didn't someone on here post something like "if you see your man on the board you go get him, you don't wait"?

 

I like the pick and where we took him.

 

To me, Germie Bernard is the best player the Steelers got from this draft. Not just because he is a Wide Receiver either. Germie Bernard can do the one major thing that Makai Lemon couldn't do; defeat press coverage at the LOS. For those of you who have followed me, I have sounded like a broken record player throughout this entire draft cycle about this very key ingredient. "Why does something so small matter so much?" ... I hear you asking. The answer lies within the positions own responsibility; to get open. That includes at the LOS. Receivers who have showcased this tool of the trade consistently are often put outside given how that is where some of the biggest and therefore baddest dudes at the Cornerback Position reside. Not only that, the average starting NFL Corner vs the average starting Collegiate Corner is no different than measuring the gap that betwixt heaven and earth; immense to put it lightly. For Germie, defeating press is something that he is capable of due to his superior strength and ability to setup his opponents.


The good doesn't stop there. Say hello to arguably the most scheme versatile wideout in the entire 2026 NFL Draft. Only Carnell Tate, K.C. Concepcion and Omar Cooper rival him. Any Offense will be an Offense that Bernard can work with; even Offenses that require Receiving Targets to get open really fast such as the Air Coryell Offense. Germie may not have the speed to separate but his contested catch ability coupled with his ability to stack Corners during the Route will allow him to do so. He isn't just scheme versatile either. Say hello to arguably the best YAC man in the entire class; regardless of position. Again, only K.C. Concepcion and Carnell Tate are his equals. From using him on long sweep plays to him being difficult to take down, Germie not only brings short to intermediate value to a team in the passing game but can get a team some extra yards while he is at it.


His best trait though comes down to how balanced he is overall. Outside of Carnell Tate, there really isn't a more balanced overall Receiver in the class. Again, he does not possess K.C.'s, Omar's, Jordyn's or even Brazzell's speed, K.C.s, Zacaraiah's, or even Omar's acceleration, Denzel's, Carnell's, or even Malachai's Catch Radius. All of that is fine. What he lacks in having any major particular physical attribute and/or tremendous trait, he more than makes up for with his scheme versatility, advanced toolbox as a Wideout and most importantly, his consistency and reliability to obtain YAC; no matter how he is deployed in game.


For Pittsburgh, it has been what appears to be an eternity since a Receiver had such versatility and capability. Some say Diontae Johnson but Diontae wasn't nearly as consistent nor reliable overall. For me, my comparison was a turbocharged Jarvis Landry. Jarvis turned his career into a rock solid one and was successful overall. Given how Pittsburgh has not had a dependable YAC based WR since Year Two JuJu Smith Schuster, Germie will become a fan favorite before long.. if he already isn't already.


I give this pick an A+.

 

When I was reading about Germie pre-draft the words that leaped off the page to me were "the QB always knows where he is at on the field". Aaron Rodgers values that ability more than anything, that is what put Roman Wilson in the doghouse. Rodgers had no idea where he was on the field when Wilson ran a pattern.

 

Germie will be his QBs best friend; no matter who the QB is. Ideally Aaron so that Drew can learn though.

 

I was more so specifically speaking from the receiving alignment perspective; not YAC.