Alabama WR ranks as a top-5 ‘draft gem’ in college football

One of Alabama’s newest players is being respected as a top-five player in college football.

In recent seasons, the Alabama Crimson Tide football program has had plenty of success recruiting wide receiver talent out of high school and through the transfer portal. The development of that talent is also noteworthy, as numerous receivers found their way into the NFL via early rounds of the draft, and cemented themselves as high-quality players at the professional level.

While those were all under the leadership of legendary head coach Nick Saban, he is now retired, leaving former Washington Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer to be the man at the helm of the historical program.

One of DeBoer’s biggest recruiting victories of the offseason was when he successfully obtained a commitment from junior wide receiver Germie Bernard, who played under DeBoer at Washington.

In 2023, Bernard appeared in 14 games, catching 34 passes for 419 yards and two touchdowns. His role is expected to be much larger at Alabama, being one of the leaders of the receiving corps for starting quarterback Jalen Milroe.

Recently, Bernard was tabbed as a ‘draft gem’ by CBS Sports’s Blake Brockermyer, who ranked the new Crimson Tide receiver No. 5 on the list of top prospects for the 2025 NFL draft.

“Big-bodied receiver who can attack the ball in the air, body defenders and high point in contested catches,” writes Brockermyer. “He is expected to be Jalen Milroe’s security blanket after an impressive spring.”

It will be interesting to see how Bernard performs in the new environment with a new quarterback, but the same head coach. His stats, while relatively underwhelming, don’t give fans a strong idea of his strengths and weaknesses, as the sample size is still somewhat small.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama football news as the 2024 offseason progresses.

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