Germie Bernard is one of the more exciting prospects in this class. Heading into the season, Ryan Williams was expected to be Alabama's featured receiver, but when that didn't materialize, Bernard stepped up and delivered. He made big plays in big moments for an Alabama offense that struggled to find consistency, largely due to an inability to establish the run. Simpson's accuracy became an issue as the season wore on, but Bernard's reliability as a target who could line up anywhere on the field became a stabilizing force for the Tide. He's especially effective working across the middle, consistently gaining separation and making life easy on his quarterback. Bernard is also one of the better blocking receivers in this class, particularly when aligned in condensed formations near the line of scrimmage.
Despite everything I loved in his film, the model brings Bernard down to earth a bit. He grades out as a fairly average prospect overall mainly due to his 30th percentile age-adjusted dominator rating and low per route production. Where the model does back up the eye test is in the hands department, where he grades out in the 80th percentile, reinforcing just how reliable a target he is. Bernard will probably go a bit higher in your rookie drafts than where we're ranking him, and I cannot fault you if you reach a bit to get him on your team.
Film Notes
- His dig routes are a thing of beauty, the tempo, the subtle hand fighting at the top of the route, and the inside breaks are as clean as anyone in this class
- Lined up all over the field for Alabama displaying his versatility and knowledge of the offense
- There is definitely a bit of adequate at everything, elite at nothing vibe that can be a red flag for some
- Will bury defenders while blocking if given the chance, but drew a couple of holding penalties
- Pretty dangerous after the catch, deployed out of the backfield regularly to take advantage
- Hands can be inconsistent, haven't seen a ton of out of frame catches
- Showed some struggles against press coverage