For 17 straight years, every Alabama player drafted into the NFL shared one thing in common: Nick Saban. The Pittsburgh Steelers just broke that historic streak.

Germie Bernard didn’t come to Tuscaloosa through the high school pipeline. Instead, the wide received followed Kalen DeBoer from Washington. When Pittsburgh drafted him with the 47th overall pick in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Bernard became the first player to be drafted and not coached Saban since CB Ramzee Robinson was drafted in 2007 and selected 255th overall by the Detroit Lions.

That becomes even more special considering that from 2008 to 2025, the Tide had over 140 players selected in the NFL Draft under Saban, with 133 drafted specifically during his 2009–2024 tenure. Even in the current draft, Kadyn Proctor and Ty Simpson were drafted in the first round. Both were coached by Saban before he retired in January 2024.

Bernard began his Alabama career in the 2025 season. Over two years, he hauled in 114 receptions for 1,656 yards and 9 TDs. At the NFL Combine, he delivered an elite performance, highlighted by running the fastest 3-cone drill among all participants, showcasing his change-of-direction ability.

To cap it off, he had a vertical jump of 32.5 inches and a broad jump of 10 feet 5 inches. He also ran the 20-yard shuttle in 4.31 seconds. His impressive performance at the event in Indianapolis heavily elevated his draft stock, ultimately convincing the Pittsburgh Steelers to trade up six spots in the second round with the Indianapolis Colts to secure the wide receiver.

“Germie is a tremendous person,” said the Steelers OC Brian Angelichio. “(I was) really impressed with him on his (Top)-30 visit. His energy. His character. A great football player. Had a lot of success, comes from a program with a lot of history and tradition.”

Steelers analysts and scouts have fallen in love with the Alabama WR’s relentless run-blocking and willingness to “do the dirty work” over the middle of the field. He was notoriously trustworthy at the catch point, recording a minuscule drop rate under 3% throughout his college career, and Bernard forced 17 missed tackles last season at Alabama.

Boasting a brawny, running-back-like build at 6-foot-1 and 206 pounds, he is incredibly tough to bring down in the open field, and that’s why he became a perfect fit for Pittsburgh. As the team’s ideal WR3 immediately behind stars DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr., Bernard stepped in as a highly graded, pro-ready plug-and-play prospect to serve.

Now, whether his rookie season with the Steelers will be good or not, that’s a waiting game. However, his Bama journey already set a standard.

The Alabama WR built a ‘gold standard’ with the Tide

After graduating from Liberty High School, Germie Bernard began his college journey at Michigan State. In 2022, he played in all 12 games as a true freshman, and in 2023 he transferred to Washington, helping Kalen DeBoer’s Huskies reach the national championship game. There, he played in a stacked WR room alongside future NFL players like Rome Odunze, recording 34 catches for 419 yards. Following that, he arrived in Tuscaloosa.

Last season, Alabama suffered a shocking 31-17 opening loss to FSU. While most of the offense struggled to find a rhythm, Bernard had an absolute career night and proved to be the ultimate bright spot for the Tide. He hauled in 8 receptions for a career-high 146 receiving yards, and out of Alabama’s five passing plays that covered 15+ yards that day, Bernard caught four of them.

“If it’s not what Germ’s doing, it’s not good enough,” said OC Ryan Grubb after that game. “If you’re watching the game, I mean, the guy’s running in and blocking their (hybrid safety) that’s running down the middle of the field and smoking that dude.”

“Then he’s running down the sideline and catching a play-action pass. His desire and passion for the game, you just see how he plays, whether it’s a run block or a pass play. We just set that as the gold standard,” added the Alabama OC.