Buffalo Bills quick reaction 2022 NFL Draft grades: Terrel Bernard

After adding running back James Cook in the second round, the Buffalo Bills returned to the defensive side of the ball to select linebacker Terrel Bernard out of Baylor. He played in 42 games over four seasons and had 317 total tackles, 31.5 tackles for a loss, 16.5 sacks, three interceptions, and seven passes defended.

He was a player that was on the Buffalo Bills’ radar and in an interview with Justin Fried at The Jet Press, Bernard mentioned the Bills along with the Jets, Texans, and Bucs as teams that showed the most interest.

Grade for the Buffalo Bills’ selection of Terrel Bernard: B-

For the defense that the Buffalo Bills run, they look for quicker linebackers as they need players that can move sideline to sideline considering the team typically only has two on the field most of the time.

Terrel Bernard certainly seems to fit that mold as he is described as an “undersized sub-package nickel linebacker with special-teams value on the next level” in the scouting report on NFL.com by Lance Zierlein.

For the Bills, he is a player that may not contribute much as a rookie outside of special teams. However, the coaching staff may look to him as a big nickel that could allow them to maybe play more traditional 4-3 but still be able to match up with some of the more athletic linebackers in the league like Travis Kelce or cover running backs out of the backfield.

When considering how good the Buffalo Bills roster is, the front office is probably at the point where they are looking for more depth and players who could develop into starters down the road. Terrel Bernard certainly fits in that category but could still have an impact on special teams as a rookie.