About 15 or 20 minutes after getting the call he'd been waiting years for, Terrel Bernard walked away to a quieter room. The Baylor linebacker was selected by the Bills in the third round of the NFL draft on Friday, at pick No. 89.
"I was just in there with my family going crazy, tearing up, just realizing that one of my biggest dreams is coming true," Bernard said during a video conference with reporters. "So I snuck off into a little room right now, so I’m out here. But yeah man, I’m super excited I can’t wait to get up there.
Bernard (6-foot-1, 224) is a Texas native who played 45 games at Baylor. Bernard, 22, redshirted his freshman season after breaking his foot. He was a three-year starter and was a senior captain.
“The phone call was awesome, man. Just a dream come true, celebrating with my family and things like that,” Bernard said. “I think I can bring just another hardworking piece that’s willing to help anywhere I can, special teams, fight for a roster spot, do whatever I need to do.”
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In his college career, Bernard had 320 total tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, three interceptions, 11 passes defensed and three fumble recoveries. His he named to the All-Big 12 first team the past season.
Bernard is coming off a strong end to his college career. He was awarded Sugar Bowl MVP honors, as Baylor took the 21-7 victory over Ole Miss. He had 20 tackles, including two sacks, and a pass defensed.
“I know they play tough, physical football, and I know it’s cold up there, so I’ll be ready for that,” Bernard said of the Bills.
Bernard said from the Senior Bowl to the NFL scouting combine to his Pro Day, he’s been able to get to learn more and more about the Bills, as they got to know him as well.
“Just having the opportunity to talk and present myself and what I can bring to Buffalo,” he said. “It’s been a crazy experience, and I can’t wait to get to work.”
Bills General Manager Brandon Beane said that while Bernard might be undersized, that’s why the Bills were able to get him. Now, they’ll figure out where to use him in Leslie Frazier’s defense.
"He can play both, he can play inside or out,” Beane said. “He's going to be undersized, he's not your proto-type size. ... We like his versality.”
Bernard has seen some of the questions of his size, but he thinks he fits the evolving defenses of the NFL quite well.
“I think you’ve seen a shift kind of within the last few years of the NFL, kind of the run-and-chase style, the more coverage aspect to combat the passing game now, but it’s been crazy being able to just model my game after guys like Matt Milano,” Bernard said. “He’s probably one of my favorite players that I’ve been studying off this whole process, so having the opportunity to learn from guys like him is gonna be amazing.”
Beane noted the Bills had to let go of linebacker A.J. Klein because of salary cap reasons. The appeal of Klein’s game for Beane was that Klein was able to fill in anywhere needed, stepping in last season for both Milano and Tremaine Edmunds. Beane sees some similar flexibility with Bernard and expects him to bounce around the defense a bit.
“He’s going to be a rookie, but he’s athletic, and he’s versatile,” Beane said. “He’s such a smart instinctive player, and those guys are hard to keep off the field.”
Bernard's self-assessment lines up with that.
"I feel like I can do multiple things in the run game and then coverage wise as well," Bernard said. "So I think combining those and fine-tuning my skills and working with the great staff up there, I’m excited to see what happens."
Beane won’t rush Bernard, but he’s looking forward to seeing him get involved.
“He's a fun player to watch,” Beane said. “We’re excited to get him in here and see what he can do.”
