The Pittsburgh Steelers had an embarrassing moment involving wide receiver Makai Lemon in round one of the 2026 NFL Draft, but they managed to correct that misstep early on night two, selecting Alabama wide receiver Germie Bernard.
“No. 47 pick is in: Steelers have selected Alabama WR Germie Bernard, per sources,” NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported on the evening of April 24.
Schultz then followed up with another post, adding: “So after the debacle with Makai Lemon, the Steelers get a WR in Round 2 with Germie Bernard.”
On the surface, this looks like a bit of a downgrade for the Steelers, but that may not be the case. Pittsburgh steadied the left tackle position on night one, bringing in a high-upside offensive tackle in Max Iheanachor, and now they’ve upgraded at WR3.
NFL insider James Palmer provided a positive take on the Bernard pick on April 24.
Palmer wrote: “A high-level scout told me of Germie Bernard. He said that every year, it seems like everyone is searching for the next Deebo [Samuel]. Ball in hand guys, thick and strong, and have RB qualities. He said he usually hates those guys for the [NFL] because they usually lack WR traits and can’t run great routes. But he said Bernard can run routes and has some true upside as a WR. They didn’t throw him a lot of second-level routes, but you see him sink his hips and break people off. It’s there.”
So, Bernard has some of those Deebo Samuel traits, is bigger than Lemon at 6-foot-1, and the Steelers solved two of their biggest roster needs.
An early “debacle,” indeed, but perhaps a blessing in disguise.
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