Alabama prospect continues to look like the most obvious Ben Johnson WR in the 2026 NFL Draft the Bears should target in the second-round
Alabama wide receiver Germie Bernard fits the bill perfectly for what Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson is looking for out of the position and a logical second-round target.
The Chicago Bears are sticking with the same approach going into the 2026 NFL Draft that the team took during the 2025 NFL Draft last year, the first draft under head coach Ben Johnson.
In that draft, the Bears simply prioritized drafting good football players. Chicago wasn’t laser-focused on attacking specific needs or reaching for certain prospects. It was a true best player available approach and it worked out really well for the team in 2025. Naturally, the Bears will follow that same blueprint.
“We want to stay disciplined in our approach,” Bears general manager Ryan Poles said. “As we get to this draft, it’s taking the best available. There’s going to be some needs that hopefully line up. We always hope that that lines up, but sometimes it doesn’t, but you can’t be wrong with continuing to add good football players to your football team.”
Identifying players that fit that description isn’t a simple process. However, one second-round prospect continues to look like the perfect target based on the Bears’ criteria.
Why Germie Bernard is shaping out to be the perfect prospect for Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears
On Wednesday, Dane Brugler of The Athletic released The Beast, which is easily THE best draft guide in the entire industry. After combing through a few different profiles, the profile of Alabama wide receiver Germie Bernard stood out to me, particularly this part.
“At the risk of sounding obtuse, Bernard is just a good football player,” Brugler wrote.
That is literally on the nose for what the Bears are looking for. Here are some of the pros Brugler listed about Bernard’s game that align perfectly for a potential wide receiver in Ben Johnson’s offense.
- Natural ball skills, with the body control to make challenging adjustments
- Gets up to speed quickly post-catch and can make first man miss (17 forced missed tackles in 2025)
- Does dirty work over the middle and runs with toughness to find the sticks
- Productive on wildcat, jet sweeps, motions and screens (5.1 yards per rush, five career rushing touchdowns)
- One of the most competitive blocking receivers in the draft class
- Mature and carries himself with a professional attitude (NFL scout: “Owned that receiver room and is popular in the program.”)
Bernard already has some history with a player in the Bears wide receiver room as well. In 2023, Bernard played at Washington alongside Bears wide receiver and 2024 first-round pick Rome Odunze. He is the ideal WR3 fit playing next to Odunze and Luther Burden III.
During the NFL Annual Meeting, Johnson shared he took issue with the number of drops the team had on offense last season. That won’t be an issue with Bernard, who had just four total drops in four seasons. Poles was also the only NFL general manager to attend Alabama’s Pro Day and got to see Bernard in-person.
It’s hard to find a better prospect fit for the Bears than Bernard. Chicago should pull the trigger without question if he’s on the board with the 57th overall pick.
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