Getting to know Bills’ third-round pick Terrel Bernard

With the Bills’ second pick on day two of the 2022 NFL Draft, they went back to the defensive side of the ball and selected the former Sugar Bowl MVP Terrel Bernard. They also uniquely announced the pick, with Kyle Brandt from NFL Network announcing the selection with energy, excitement, and the proclamation of the Bills winning the Super Bowl this upcoming season. He also ended the announcement of the pick by taking a bite out of a chicken wing.

The Bernard selection in the third round came with a good amount of skepticism. Not because people don’t believe in the player or think he is super talented, but fans are skeptical of his fit on the defense. Will he be the third linebacker, the future Matt Milano replacement, or slide into a hybrid type of player and become the big nickel that the Bills defense has been missing?

The Good

First, let’s start with the positives of the Bills selecting Bernard on the second day of the draft. His leadership and character are the two things that scouts and GMs raved about during his draft process. Suppose you have followed the direction of how Brandon Beane has drafted and what types of players Sean McDermott likes to coach, hearing that Bernard has high character and possesses outstanding leadership qualities gives good reason as to why the Bills decided to select him. McDermott and company love high-IQ players that are like coaches on the field, for example, Matt Milano and Micah Hyde. At Baylor, Bernard was also known to be an absolute film junkie, which he backed up on the field by recording over 100 tackles in both 2019 and 2021 at Baylor. He has very quick instincts while reading plays, mainly in play-action scenarios. He has a nose for the football and his lateral speed helps him cover WR, RB, and TEs on underneath routes. Bernard possesses all of the tools to be an excellent linebacker at the next level, and his work off the field might be the biggest plus in his game.

The Bad

Every time you draft a college prospect in the NFL draft, there are always concerns and fears that fans and GMs have with the player they have selected. No players in the draft are ever slam dunk prospects or have perfect measurables. Bernard falls right under that category. When evaluating Bernard, a couple of things stand out that could make you a little uncomfortable regarding the selection. For example, his lack of overall size for his position does create some problems for Bernard. He tends to get caught up in the cluster of players either in the middle of the field or at the point of attack. Bigger offensive linemen tend to swallow him up. On the other hand, he doesn’t have a problem making tackles on the second level against running backs. The thing that scared a lot of scouts was indeed the fact that he was quickly engulfed in blocks by more prominent players. In the NFL, Bernard will be going up consistently against the biggest offensive lineman.

Final Assessment

When the Bills selected Terrel Bernard in the third round, my first reaction was where exactly he would fit on the Bills’ defense. He’s not a replacement for Tremaine Edmunds because he does not play middle linebacker, but he could be an eventual replacement for Matt Milano – but let’s not jump the gun on that. Bernard will most likely immediately slide into the third linebacker role that is void with the release of A.J. Klein. There have also been some reports stating that Bernard could see some time at safety, but I don’t know how possible that is. The two main spots I see Bernard getting the most action for this upcoming season are as a primary special teamer and the third linebacker/hybrid/nickel role. He will play both safety and linebacker, hence the word hybrid, and he’ll become the Bills’ big nickel, which the Bills have been missing over the last couple of years.