The Eagles are taking a chance on perhaps the most intriguing prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Philadelphia took Nigerian defensive tackle Uar Bernard in the seventh round with the No. 251 overall pick — the seventh-to-last selection in the draft — hoping they can turn the impressive raw athlete into a standout football player, despite the fact he’s never played football before.
Bernard, a 21-year-old from a small village in Nigeria, is a member of the NFL’s International Player Pathway program, which produced Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata of Australia, who went in the seventh round in 2018 and was second-team All-Pro in 2024.
Bernard, who was on hand in Pittsburgh for the draft and celebrated on stage after he was selected, said former Giants star Osi Umenyiora introduced him to football.
“It’s a dream come true for me because I’ve worked hard for this,” Bernard said 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.”
The 6-foot-4 ½, 306-pound Bernard began training with Jordan Luallen in mid-January, initially weighing in at 295 pounds and 11 percent body fat with a 32-inch vertical jump and a 9-foot, 4-inch broad jump. At the NFL’s HBCU showcase earlier this month, Bernard had 6 percent body fat with a 39-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot, 10-inch broad jump. He also ran a 4.63 40-yard dash.
“Hands down, he is the most explosive athlete I’ve ever seen in my life,” Luallen told The Athletic at the time. “He broad jumped 10-10, and it was effortless. At 306 pounds. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Bernard made major strides in a short period of time, according to Luallen.
“He was very naturally gifted when he walked in, but he made substantial improvement on everything,” Luallen said. “He’s super freakin’ flexible, and he is way more fluid now.”
Eagles 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, per the Philadelphia Inquirer. “We spend a lot of time talking about ‘unusual.’ It’s certainly unusual with that guy.”
