What's next for Nigerian NFL Draft pick Uar Bernard? How Eagles plan to use impressive athlete originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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The Philadelphia Eagles are giving Uar Bernard a chance.
The supreme athlete from Nigeria is part of the NFL's International Pathway Program, and the Eagles made him a seventh-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Bernard has never actually played football, only learning the game through the pre-draft process.
But he's so athletically impressive that Philly believes he can become a contributing NFL player.
“It’s a dream come true for me because I’ve worked hard for this,” Bernard said after being selected. “I’ve not played football, but I’ve gone through some drills that made me believe that I’m going to get better every day. 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.”
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What's next for Uar Bernard?
The reality is that it could be a long journey for Bernard, but it starts at rookie minicamp.
That'll be his first chance to get real coaching from the Eagles' staff, and he'll have to grow even in simple areas of the game that lifelong football players have known for a long time.
The Eagles will be patient if they have to be, and Bernard will surely stick around through training camp and the preseason.
From there, it's very possible he ends up on the practice squad, but as long as he keeps working, he'll eventually get a chance to break through.
The Eagles did find offensive lineman Jordan Mailata through the International Pathway Program, and they're hoping they nailed another one.
“We wanted to take the chance on the kid,” Eagles GM Howie Roseman said after the draft. “Obviously, we’ve had great success with that program. We spent a lot of time with him. Coach [Clint] Hurtt went down there and spent the day with him, worked him out. You know, just for us, it was a passion project. Obviously, he’s got a lot of tools in his body. Understand it’s going to take time. It’s going to take a lot of time here.”
The Eagles plan to be patient. The reward with Bernard may be worth the wait.