Route Running
Pros:
•Ran a pretty diverse route tree
•Shown flashes of hip manipulation
•Every now and then is physical at the top of his route, but those moments are far and in between
•Average releases against soft presses
•Sinks his hips decently well on his breaks and comeback routes
Cons:
•Rounds his cuts and breaks
•Struggles to adjust his routes and can get rerouted
•Doesn’t consistently stem his routes and tends to drift
•Slow to get off presses
•Lacks separating speed
•Telegraphs his routes, which makes it easy for defenders to read him
•Struggles to get hands off of him on the top of his route or in press release
•Jogs his routes and shows a lack of effort sometimes
•Lack of hand usage throughout his route or off the press to get hands off of him
•Struggles to consistently manipulate defenders' hips
RAC / YAC Ability
Pros:
•Really solid juker
•Falls forward
•Doesn’t get knocked back so he consistently gets an extra 2-3 yards
•Can become slippery in space
•Spin move he works in at times
•Ankle flexion and balance along the sideline
Cons:
•Doesn’t have the home run speed to take screens or short yard passes to the house
Athleticism / Frame
Pros:
•4.49 40 time is average
•9.18 RAS Score
•Decent frame
•He has football speed
•Slightly above average hand size at 9.88”
Cons:
•Below average arm length
•Frame isn’t elite by any means
•Vertical is pretty lackluster at 32”
•Not a deep threat by any means
Ball Skills
Pros:
•Slightly above average hands
•Makes good hand catches at times
•Reliable hands
Cons:
•Body catches too often
•Can struggle to haul in catches through contact, especially when he senses a hit coming
•Not a jump ball receiver
•Catch radius is pretty small
•Ball tracking skills are not there
Game IQ / Processing
Pros:
•Sideline awareness
•Find soft spots in the zone and carries out the best option on his option routes
•Finds a throwing lane especially in cover 2 on the outside
Cons:
•Bad vision as a runner in the wildcat set
Agility / Twitch
Pros:
•Good twitch and burst
•Gets up field quick
•Really like his short-area quickness
•Good agility
Cons:
•Nothing is elite
Versatility
Pros:
•Gets used in motions
•Swing passes and WR screens
•Lines up as a combo back or at half back in some sets
•Got used on a wildcat set
Cons:
•None
Run Blocking
Pros:
•Solid physicality on run blocks and screens
•Good overall hand placement
•Good effort
•Looks to make blocks for others after the catch
Cons:
•Struggles to block bigger defenders
Games Watched:
•Week 1 vs FSU, Week 2 vs ULM, Week 5 vs VAN, Week 7 vs TENN, Week 8 vs SC, CFP vs OU
Ideal Situation:
•Germie Bernard was taken with the 47th pick in the draft in the 2nd round by the Steelers. I am scratching my head about why he went so high and whether I was watching the same film as everyone else. I will admit that I only watched films specifically for him during the 2025 season. I do remember watching him in 2024 when I was scouting Jalen Milroe and being more impressed with him. I simply wasn't that impressed with his 2025 tape, and I don’t understand why he's going this high in the draft. His playmaking after the catch was impressive, with the ability to juke defenders, run through arm tackles, and become slippery in space. Bernard’s run blocking was also very solid and ranks 3rd in the WR class in that category (so far). Some scouts have been raving about his route running, but not a single play in 2025 necessarily stuck out to me, and I was underwhelmed. Lack of effort on certain routes, doesn’t consistently manipulate defenders' hips, struggles with physical corners, runs with his head down, telegraphs his routes with his eyes, and rounds some of his cuts/breaks, and I have doubts about his ability to separate at the next level. All those make for not a very good route runner, especially in the NFL. Currently, ESPN projects he will be a WR3 behind DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. I can’t seem to understand why. He isn’t physical at the catch point, has a small catch radius, isn’t particularly fast or a serious threat to stretch the field, and struggled this season in contested catch scenarios and when defenders disrupted his eye tracking. All I see is a Swiss Army Knife playmaker that doesn’t drop the ball. Don’t get me wrong, there are places for that archetype on an NFL roster, but not as a 3rd option on a team. Maybe as a WR4 or WR5, and surely not someone taken in the 2nd round. Bernard has no prior major injuries and has been healthy pretty much his entire career. I will be curious to see how the Steelers use him in a loaded receiving room with Metcalf, Pittman Jr., Roman Wilson, and Ben Skowronek.
Rating:
•Route Running – 5.7/10
•RAC / YAC Ability – 8.0/10
•Athleticism / Frame – 7.5/10
•Ball Skills – 6.8/10
•Game IQ / Processing – 6.4/10
•Agility / Twitch – 8.2/10
•Versatility – 9.4/10
•Run Blocking – 8.4/10
Total = 71.7/100 (C-) Late 4th
DraftedR2 • P47Pittsburgh Steelers
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