The Rose Bowl will be played on Jan. 1 between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Alabama Crimson Tide. This matchup features two great wide receivers who are set to be selected in the first few rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft. Indiana’s Elijah Sarratt and Alabama’s Germie Bernard have both had strong 2025 seasons. They have been consistently reliable for two of the top quarterbacks in college football. Let’s examine some of the strengths they share as prospects, as well as areas of their skill sets where one has an advantage over the other.
Elijah Sarratt and Germie Bernard’s Strengths
Sarratt and Bernard share many similarities. They are two experienced prospects, both 22 years of age. With their experience comes intelligence, as both are smart wide receivers. Each has been productive throughout their college careers, having recorded over 2,000 receiving yards.
Both prospects are physically demanding. Sarratt and Bernard have a willingness to block. They can go over the middle of the field and make catches in traffic. Each player has had lots of success on the intermediate level.
Sarratt and Bernard have strong and dependable hands at the catch point. To go along with great hands, they also have terrific body control to adjust and pluck throws outside of their frame.
Lastly, they have both demonstrated some nuance and development in their release packages and route running.
Sarratt’s Better Traits
Arguably, Sarratt’s best attribute, and what makes him stand out among the wide receivers in this class, is his dominant ability to make contested catches. Sarratt does offer a little bit more size and physicality. He is listed at 6’2″ and 213 pounds compared to Bernard, who is listed at 6’1″ and 204 pounds.
Another unique aspect that Sarratt offers is his presence in the red zone and ability to score touchdowns. He has a whopping 12 receiving touchdowns in 11 games this year. His ability to consistently win on back shoulders, fade, and go routes in traffic all lead to his impressive scoring output. Saratt has a score of 79.8 with a C+ grade in PFSN’s CFB Impact metrics.
Finally, in terms of using size and physicality to break tackles after the catch, Sarratt has the upper hand.
Bernard’s Better Traits
Bernard offers better separation skills as a route runner. He does not have elite athletic traits, but Bernard is faster and quicker. While Sarratt can use his size and physicality to break tackles, Bernard is a more decisive runner with better elusiveness after the catch.
Bernard also provides more versatility in terms of pre-snap alignment and usage in the gadget game for an offense. Pre-snap, Bernard can line up all across the formation, even in the backfield. He has 18 rushing attempts for 101 yards (5.6 per attempt) and two touchdowns this season. Bernard has also had more success on designed touches in the screen game. He has a score of 77.4 with a C+ grade in PFSN’s CFB Impact metrics.
Lastly, Bernard offers a more complete presence to be utilized on all three levels of the field. With his versatility in the screen game, ability to track the football downfield, and consistency over the middle, Bernard can make plays against any level of the defense.
