The Philadelphia Eagles took a punt on a defensive tackle who has never played football with their final pick of the NFL Draft.
With the No 251 overall selection, the seventh-to-last pick in the Draft, the Eagles chose Nigerian prospect Uar Bernard despite his astonishing lack of experience.
Bernard, 21, was picked up the NFL’s International Player Pathway program after attending several football camps back home in Nigeria.
The 6ft 4in, 306lbs player, who grew up in a small village in the African country, went viral in recent weeks as he stepped up his preparations for the Draft, with fans left stunned by his impressive physical traits.
As well as his incredible height and weight, he boasts 11-inch hands and just six percent body fat, while he recently recorded a vertical jump of 39 inches.
Yet remarkably, Bernard has never played a down of organized football, meaning Philadelphia has taken a huge risk in picking him.
The Eagles took a punt on a defensive tackle who has never played football in the NFL Draft
Nigerian prospect Uar Bernard, who is 6ft 4in and 306lbs, was picked by the Eagles at No 251
‘It’s a dream come true for me because I’ve worked hard for this,’ he said on Saturday. ‘I’ve not played football before, but I’ve gone through some drills that made me believe that I’m going to get better every day.
‘I appreciate God, I thank God for everything. I thank God for life. I thank God for the opportunities given to me to be drafted by the Eagles.’
Bernard celebrated on stage when he was picked by the Eagles after heading to Pittsburgh for the Draft. Philadelphia GM Howie Roseman said the team ‘spent a lot of time with him’ before the Draft.
‘Just for us, it was a passion project,”’ Roseman said, via the Philadelphia Inquirer. ‘We spend a lot of time talking about “unusual.” It’s certainly unusual with that guy.’
The rookie began training with coach Jordan Luallen in mid-January, initially weighing in at 295lbs and 11 percent body fat with a 32-inch vertical jump and a 9-foot, 4-inch broad jump.
Though at the NFL’s HBCU showcase this month, he then weighed in at 306lbs and six percent body fat with a 39-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot, 10-inch broad jump. He also ran a 4.63
His broad jump of 10’10’ was 14 inches more than any other defensive tackle at the NFL combine this year.
Bernard celebrated on stage when he was picked after heading to Pittsburgh for the Draft
Speaking to The Athletic, Luallen said: ‘Hands down, he is the most explosive athlete I’ve ever seen in my life. He broad jumped 10-10, and it was effortless. At 306 pounds. I’ve never seen anything like it.’
Speaking to the same outlet, quarterback coach George Whitfield added: ‘The numbers don’t even do him justice.’
Bernard will hope to go on and become the greatest International Player Pathway success since his new Eagles teammate Jordan Mailata
Offensive tackle Mailata, who is from Australia, went in the seventh round in 2018 and was second-team All-Pro in 2024.
