Pittsburgh Steelers select Germie Bernard in 2nd round of 2026 NFL Draft after trade with Colts

One of the 2026 NFL Draft’s top wide receivers is officially off the board, with Alabama Crimson Tide star Germie Bernard getting selected. Bernard will begin his professional career with the Pittsburgh Steelers after being the No. 47 overall pick in the second round. A major honor for a guy who played under Kalen DeBoer for three of his four college seasons.

The Steelers traded up to acquire Bernard in the second round. They sent the Nos. 53, 135 and 237 overall picks to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for No. 47 and No. 249.

Michigan State is where Bernard began his college career. Only one season with the Spartans took place before transferring to Washington. The Huskies had a loaded wide receiver room in 2023 when he arrived, the season they made a national championship run. Bernard fit in as the fourth guy and planned to elevate his role the following year. But when DeBoer left for Tuscaloosa, Bernard followed.

Results quickly followed. Bernard caught 114 passes in an Alabama uniform for 1,656 yards and nine touchdowns. Some trust in the run game even came this past year, as Bernard accumulated 18 carries for 101 yards and two touchdowns.

Two different quarterbacks were throwing passes to Bernard as well. Jalen Milroe was the guy in Year One, followed by Ty Simpson in 2025.

Bernard played high school football at Henderson (NV) Liberty, where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 197 overall recruit in the 2022 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Germie Bernard

A scouting report was provided on Bernard ahead of the draft by NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein. Some high praise for the Alabama product came from Zierlein, giving him a prospect score of 6.29. This means Bernard projects to eventually grow into an “average” starter.

Zierlein even gave us a comparison, saying Bernard reminds him of a recent NFL wide receiver. Robert Woods is the name, somebody who put together a nice professional career.

“Bernard is a versatile wideout with ascending production over the last three years,” Zierlein said. “He has good size, accelerates to top speed quickly and is a smooth route runner with well-disguised breaks and clean footwork getting in and out.

“He can line up outside or in the slot and is capable of running a full route tree across all three levels. He has impressive run-after-catch ability. Bernard’s second gear as a field-stretcher is fairly ordinary, and he doesn’t always play to his size when it’s time to compete for catch space. Bernard projects as an above-average WR2/3.”