Terrel Bernard selected by Buffalo Bills in NFL Draft's 3rd round

The Buffalo Bills selected Terrel Bernard with the 89th-overall pick in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. 

The 6-foot-1, 224-pound linebacker finished his redshirt-senior season with 103 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, and 4 pass deflections while earning 1st team All-Big 12 honors from the conference and AP.

For his career, the La Porte, TX native finished with 317 total tackles, 16.5 sacks, 31.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions, three fumble recoveries, and 11 pass breakups.

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

One of Bernard’s finest performances came in his final game, as he earned Sugar Bowl MVP honors following a 15 tackle, 2-sack showing against Ole Miss.

After a historic fifth year, Bernard went to Mobile, Alabama to participate in the Reese’s Senior Bowl but was sidelined for a majority of the week due to an injury suffered training for the 40-yard dash.

Despite the setback, Bernard earned an NFL Combine invite where he posted solid numbers in the vertical (35.5) and broad jump (123), shuttle (4.25), and 3-cone drill (7.03).

After waiting to run his 40 at Baylor’s Pro Day, the hard work paid off as Bernard posted a respectable 4.59 time. Clearly enough to answer any lingering questions about his speed.

Bernard is the third Baylor defensive player to be selected in 2022 and the fourth pick overall, joining DB Jalen Pitre, WR Tyquan Thornton, and S JT Woods.

Lance Zierlein, a draft analyst for NFL.com, said this about Bernard: “Undersized sub-package nickel linebacker with special-teams value on the next level. Bernard possesses elite intangibles and teams will be drawn to him because of it. He's resilient, productive and showed a willingness to play through pain. However, Bernard lacks the desired frame and play strength and will face scrutiny surrounding his injury history. He needs space to operate and has the speed for man-cover duties as a pro. If the medicals check out, he should be a Day 3 pick with sub-package value.”