Is There Room for Germie Bernard in the Commanders’ Receiving Corps?

Player Overview

Not only was Germie Bernard a multi-sport athlete in high school, running track while playing basketball and football, but he was also a multi-position threat on the football field in his native Las Vegas. He put up almost 1,000 yards receiving and almost 500 yards rushing his senior season, earning him Gatorade Player of the Year for Nevada. A four-star recruit, Bernard initially committed to Washington, but ultimately chose to play at Michigan State and rejected not only the Huskies, but Michigan, Oregon, Miami, and several others.

Bernard saw action in every game as a freshman with the Spartans, but decided to transfer to Washington for his sophomore season. Playing behind Rome Odunze, Ja’lynn Polk, and Jalen McMillan, Bernard put up solid numbers. When Kalen DeBoer left Washington to take the Alabama head coaching job, Bernard went with him and started right away. He led the Crimson Tide in catches his junior year and was second on the team in yards and touchdowns behind Ryan Williams. For his senior season, Bernard improved all his numbers and led the team in receptions and yards, and was second in touchdowns.

Strengths

• Excellent at finding soft spots in zones
• Rarely drops passes
• Uses above-average short-area quickness to get open and slip tackles
• High-end run after the catch ability with excellent vision
• Effective gadget player with kick and punt return experience

Weaknesses

• While quick, doesn’t display great long speed
• Several touches are schemed or come when aligned off the line of scrimmage
• Could be more creative with his releases when facing press coverage
• Speed looks only adequate for the next level

Let’s See His Work

How He Fits on the Commanders

The Commanders’ will have Terry McLaurin, Luke McCaffrey, and Jaylin Lane under contract for next season. Even if the team re-signs Deebo Samuel, they still need to look for additions to the receiving corps. Germie Bernard could give the Commanders a prospect with WR2 upside. While he is smaller than Samuel, he played a similar role for Alabama. Bernard did a lot of damage in the intermediate area of the field and over the middle. Alabama schemed touches for him near the line of scrimmage, even giving him touches running out of the backfield. Make no mistake though, if Bernard can improve some of his weaknesses, particularly improving his play outside against press coverage, he could be the Commanders’ WR2 for the foreseeable future.