Rd 3, Pick 89 (25): LB Terrell Bernard, Baylor

[Shaw66]

Watch this.  It's obvious why the Bills wanted this guy.  Smartest football rookie I've ever seen.  

 

https://www.buffalobills.com/video/terrel-bernard-can-t-say-enough-good-things-about-the-people-here

[3rdand12]

20 hours ago, Shake_My_Head said:

Takes over A.J. Klein's role.

Perhaps temporarily. But Terrell really has a different skill set than the beast Klein .  I might guess he will see some packages on def 1st year 
He can improve and growth potential seems to be there for developing.

20 hours ago, Augie said:

 

Somewhat strangely, LB’s and DB’s seem to be going the way of college basketball. Most of the top college hoops recruits are 6’5”-6’8” and are “position-less”. Everybody can switch and cover anybody. Sure, it’s not entirely like that, but to a large extent we are blending size and speed so you can do a little bit of everything. 

 

Long gone are the days of the big, slow, thumping MLB and the other guys who are restricted to certain limited roles. LB’s need to cover TE’s and RB’s and CB’s need to tackle. Safeties need to come down into the box and plug the running game. The new NFL requires new kinds of players. 

 

I trust our FO and like our draft!

I posted a sad face only for the melancholy I feel about thumpers.

[Shaw66]

20 hours ago, Augie said:

 

Somewhat strangely, LB’s and DB’s seem to be going the way of college basketball. Most of the top college hoops recruits are 6’5”-6’8” and are “position-less”. Everybody can switch and cover anybody. Sure, it’s not entirely like that, but to a large extent we are blending size and speed so you can do a little bit of everything. 

 

Long gone are the days of the big, slow, thumping MLB and the other guys who are restricted to certain limited roles. LB’s need to cover TE’s and RB’s and CB’s need to tackle. Safeties need to come down into the box and plug the running game. The new NFL requires new kinds of players. 

 

I trust our FO and like our draft!

I agree with this.  Now that I've seen his interview and heard just a few of the comments about the guy, it seems clear to me the Bills intend for this guy, somehow, to be a three-down player.   It's like they're saying we want a few big guys, a few small guys, and a bunch of guys who are smart, fast, and as long as possible.   Even Elam, who's a one-position guy, seems to be in that mold.   And that's who Cook is, too.  

 

And I think this is the kind of guy McDermott sees himself as - maybe a tad under-sized, a tad under-talented, but over-sized heart and brain. 

Edited May 1, 2022 by Shaw66

[BaaadThingsMan]

This is Poyers replacement near the line of scrimmage if he doesn't re-sign next season. 

Poyer consistently makes tackles at or near the line on run plays, this guy could fill that role.

Someone else would fill in on obvious passing downs.

 

Hopefully Poyer doesn't leave but they need to prepare for it just in case. 

[Augie]

26 minutes ago, 3rdand12 said:

Perhaps temporarily. But Terrell really has a different skill set than the beast Klein .  I might guess he will see some packages on def 1st year 
He can improve and growth potential seems to be there for developing.

I posted a sad face only for the melancholy I feel about thumpers.

 

Did you want to be a thumper when you grow up?  😋

[Rocket94]

30 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

Watch this.  It's obvious why the Bills wanted this guy.  Smartest football rookie I've ever seen.  

 

https://www.buffalobills.com/video/terrel-bernard-can-t-say-enough-good-things-about-the-people-here

The Kid is going to excel here!

[Shake_My_Head]

1 hour ago, 3rdand12 said:

Perhaps temporarily. But Terrell really has a different skill set than the beast Klein 

Yep.  A much better skill set.

 

The defense can now play much faster in base 4-3 and save $3 million doing so.

[3rdand12]

1 hour ago, Augie said:

 

Did you want to be a thumper when you grow up?  😋

If only 

[YoloinOhio]

He’s famous now. Will be on gmfb tomorrow

 

[BaaadThingsMan]

20 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

He’s famous now. Will be on gmfb tomorrow

 

It's cool and its been fun but....

The Kyle Brandt thing is a little cringy sometimes tbh.

 

I feel like he's out there creating this target on the Bills backs. 

 

He has nothing to do with the on field game play yet he's out there bloviating all over himself about it.

 

Rex Ryan comes to mind for the same reasons. 

[John from Riverside]

Just now, BaaadThingsMan said:

It's cool and its been fun but....

The Kyle Brandt thing is a little cringy sometimes tbh.

 

I feel like he's out there creating this target on the Bills backs. 

 

He has nothing to do with the on field game play yet he's out there bloviating all over himself about it.

 

Rex Ryan comes to mind for the same reasons. 

The bills are for real and its their time......they have to be able to withstand the media spotlight

[BaaadThingsMan]

7 minutes ago, John from Riverside said:

The bills are for real and its their time......they have to be able to withstand the media spotlight

I know. I do think it's what slowed them down last year early.

 

They were answering superbowl questions from training camp on as the media whipped the narrative into a frenzy.

 

This year I think they'll be more prepared to shut it out. 

[JESSEFEFFER]

On 4/29/2022 at 10:51 PM, ScorpionZero said:

We're just gonna have to do our due diligence on this one, before we freak out.

A more athletic version of Matt Milano.  I got there.

[JaCrispy]

Sounds like a nice kid...but doesn’t appear to be very fast or an aggressive tackler...We shall see...

 

 

Edited May 1, 2022 by JaCrispy

[MrEpsYtown]

2 hours ago, Shake_My_Head said:

Yep.  A much better skill set.

 

The defense can now play much faster in base 4-3 and save $3 million doing so.

I would love to see some 4-3 under sets with Edmunds as the SAM setting the edge on the line and Milano and Bernard running to the football. Used to be a staple for the them in Carolina but have not seen it much here. 

[Solomon Grundy]

On 4/30/2022 at 6:01 PM, Dr.Mantis_Toboggan said:

He has speed, he’s obviously incredibly smart, and his measurables compare to Thomas Davis, except Bernard put up 10 more on the bench at 22 reps if I read that correctly earlier? Not sure what’s not to love, fast, cover skills, can obviously tackle judging by his Sugar Bowl MVP performance, intelligent and stronger than his build implies.

 

With all the hating on Edmunds, the complete lack of depth at LB, and this kids huge upside, why is anybody butthurt over this pick again?  It’s almost like people forgot the LB corps McBeane helped put together in Carolina, they MIGHT know a thing or two about linebackers.

It seems, to me, that Beane and McDermott are trying to resurrect the Panthers team that they helped construct. 

Edited May 1, 2022 by Solomon Grundy

[ehfeuh57]

 

this our dude with Joe Schoen?

[NewEra]

7 hours ago, BaaadThingsMan said:

It's cool and its been fun but....

The Kyle Brandt thing is a little cringy sometimes tbh.

 

I feel like he's out there creating this target on the Bills backs. 

 

He has nothing to do with the on field game play yet he's out there bloviating all over himself about it.

 

Rex Ryan comes to mind for the same reasons. 

He’s a gifted speaker and Bills mafia is the perfect target for his attention.  He’s making money off of it and that’s great for him.  I get a laugh and a few goose bumps. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting him a few times.  He couldn’t have been any nicer or more genuine.  

i can understand how/why some would find him annoying.  Just know that he’s a good dude

[Sierra Foothills]

On 4/29/2022 at 7:59 PM, Freddie's Dead said:

Parham should have been the pick.  This guy could have been had with one of our 6th round picks or maybe even a UDFA.  There's no highlight reel for him on youtube, and no one has him listed as a day 1 starter.  A real reach in the 3rd round.  A true WTF pick.

 

Okay... we should have waited till the 6th round to draft him?

 

 

On 4/29/2022 at 8:11 PM, Rocket94 said:

I found a film where guys are raving about him. Have to root for the guy and unleash him!

 

Feel free to provide a link to that. Thanks.

 

On 4/29/2022 at 8:11 PM, NewEra said:

So after a few Nisan of scouting, we may have drafted Matt Milano 2.0.  Or smaller Tyrel Dodson 2.0.

 

at worst, we have Matakavichs replacement.  Let’s snag that 3.5M!

 

Is that a Japanese unit of measure?

 

On 4/29/2022 at 8:36 PM, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Did he wear #2 or #26 or both?  So….Confused

 

Both.

 

On 4/30/2022 at 9:25 AM, Shaw66 said:

In short, I think Bernard is another (I hate the phrase) Swiss army knife.   He's a good football player whom McDermott wants on the field.  McDermott's pass defense schemes are somewhat ahead of the league, generally, and I think McDermott thinks Bernard may be the prototype for a different defender, a guy who's a combo linebacker/safety who's also a pass rusher.  

 

I don't know, but I am sure there are very good reasons why Bernard is now a Buffalo Bill. 

   

 

"Chess piece" works well too.

[Sierra Foothills]

 

Dane Brugler in his draft compendium "The Beast" had Terrell Bernard as his 12th ranked LB and gave him a 4th round grade.

 

The Bills made him the 7th LB drafted.

 

This is what Brugler had to say about him: 

 

BACKGROUND: Terrel (tuh-RELL) Bernard, who is one of six children, was raised in La Porte (a bay town southeast of Houston) by his mother (Laura). He started playing sports at age 6 but chose to focus on football when he attended La Porte High and made varsity as a freshman. Playing both inside and outside linebacker, Bernard earned First Team All-District honors as a sophomore with 114 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss and two interceptions. As a junior, he again earned All-District honors with 148 tackles, 9.0 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks and two interceptions (one returned for a touchdown). Bernard led La Porte to a 9-3 record as a senior and had his best season with 201 tackles, 12.0 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks. He was named Second Team All-State and District MVP in 2016 and saw time on offense as a running back all four seasons, finishing his prep career with 10 rushing touchdowns.

A three-star recruit out of high school, Bernard was the No. 66 outside linebacker in the 2017 recruiting class and the No. 141 recruit in the state of Texas. He started receiving scholarship offers as a sophomore and finished with offers from Power 5 programs like Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Northwestern and Texas Tech. Bernard committed to Houston the summer before his senior year, but when Matt Rhule was hired as Baylor’s head coach in December 2016, Rhule was able to flip him to Baylor shortly before signing day. Bernard graduated with his degree in health, kinesiology and leisure studies (August 2020) and recently received his master’s degree in sports management (December 2021). Bernard accepted his invitation to the 2022 Senior Bowl.

 

STRENGTHS: Plays with plus speed and range ... moves well laterally to track the football up-and-down the line of scrimmage ... trusts his eyes and diagnoses quickly vs. the run to fill (Rhule: “He’s just a great football mind.”) ... resets his vision well to adjust his movement patterns on the fly ... has the foot quickness to give blockers the slip ... alert and active in zone coverage with smooth coverage transitions ... flow-fast blitzer who finished his career No. 3 in school history in sacks (16.5) ... adequate length and tackling strength with room to add bulk ... wants to be a strength coach after his playing days and invests in his conditioning ... disciplined by nature and was a senior captain (head coach Dave Aranda: “When I think of the heart, soul, and character of our team, I think of him.”) ... productive with a pair of 100-tackle seasons on his résumé.

WEAKNESSES: Lacks ideal size by NFL standards ... adequate vision, but his anticipation is lacking ... tends to see the ball through a straw and must do a better job locating impending blockers ... doesn’t have explosive hands when attacking blocks ... overaggressive downhill and can get sucked up too far or out-leveraged on the edge ... reactive in coverage and can be caught flat-footed in man-to-man ... battled through several injuries in college: suffered a season-ending fractured shoulder

[209]

and torn labrum that required surgery (November 2020); broke his right hand that required surgery (November 2019), but didn’t miss any time; missed one game as a senior because of a knee scope (September 2021); redshirted in 2017 after breaking his foot ... didn’t play on kickoff coverage in college.

SUMMARY: A three-year starter at Baylor, Bernard was the weakside linebacker in head coach Dave Aranda’s 3-3-5 base scheme and played mostly to the field side. He consistently filled up the stat sheet with 8.4 tackles per game over the past three seasons, and both of his head coaches in Waco (Rhule and Aranda) were eager to praise his leadership and integrity. Bernard is always involved in plays because of his play speed and inside-out range, showing the ability to unlock and accelerate in any direction. He tends to be too reactive at times and doesn’t have the play strength or heavy hands to quickly dispose of blockers at the point of attack. Overall, Bernard is undersized and doesn’t have the anticipation of a playmaker, but he has disciplined eyes and athletic range to cover space, projecting as a fourth linebacker and potential down-the-road NFL starter.

GRADE: 4th Round

 

As a few other posters here have astutely pointed out, the Bills play a Base 4-2-5. Numerous people are harping on Bernard being undersized however if he comes in the game for Taron Johnson and the Bills mix in more 4-3 looks, the defense becomes BIGGER.