The Pittsburgh Steelers snag multi-talented Alabama wide receiver Germie Bernard in the second round of the NFL Draft.
The Pittsburgh Steelers blew their chance to select a wide receiver on Thursday night in the first round of the NFL Draft, but tried to make up for it on Friday night in the second round by trading up six spots and picking Germie Bernard from Alabama.
Steelers general manager Omar Khan drew heavy criticism on Thursday night when the Philadelphia Eagles traded up to No. 20, one pick ahead of the Steelers, to draft USC wide receiver Makai Lemon. Khan was already on the phone with Lemon, welcoming him to Pittsburgh, when the trade went down. The Steelers had to quickly pivot to Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor.
A night later, Khan traded with the Indianapolis Colts to put the Steelers in position to select Bernard at No. 47. Pittsburgh traded picks Nos. 53 (second round), 135 (fourth round), and 237 (seventh round), and got back pick No. 249 (seventh round).
Bernard, 21. spent the last two seasons of his collegiate career at Alabama, leading the Crimson Tide in receptions both years. He played at Michigan State in 2022 and Washington in 2023.
The 6-foot-1, 206-pounder graduated from Liberty High School in Las Vegas.
Bernard’s teammates at Alabama gave him the nickname “Uncle Germ,” and he took it as a compliment.
“It’s not, like, I’m old or anything,” Bernard said. “It’s the way I carry myself, the way I do things off the field.”
Alabama offensive lineman Parker Brailsford said the nickname is “not for no reason” and that “he’s a guy with a good head on his shoulders.”
Bernard had a career-high 862 receiving yards on 64 catches with seven touchdowns in 2025 while starting all 14 games. He also rushed 18 times for 101 yards and two TDs and was 2-of-2 passing for 15 yards.
At the NFL Scouting Combines, Bernard topped wide receivers in the three-cone drill with a time of 6.71 seconds. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds, and his vertical jump was measured at 32 feet, ½ inch.
The Steelers believe they can line Bernard out wide, in the slot, or in the backfield. He could also be a special teams contributor as a kickoff and punt returner.
"I think the flexibility is certainly always attractive when you've got a guy that can help on special teams in all four phases," offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio said. "And then certainly we have flexibility to be able to put him in the backfield, move him around so the defense really can't focus in on one area. More than anything else, he's a clutch player. He's made a lot of big catches for Alabama in critical moments."
In 2024, Bernard averaged 15.9 yards per reception while hauling in 50 passes for 794 yards and two touchdowns. He started all 13 games.
Bernard’s introduction to the college game came at Michigan State. He appeared in seven games as a reserve and had seven receptions for 128 yards and two touchdowns.
Bernard then started seven of 14 games for Washington while playing with a position group that included future NFL wide receivers Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan, and Ja’lynn Polk. Bernard had 34 receptions for 419 yards and two touchdowns.
During his senior season of high school, Bernard was the Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year after having 53 receptions for 936 yards and 12 touchdowns and adding 452 rushing yards in 37 carries. He also lettered in basketball and track at Liberty.
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