1 hour ago
2
You need experience to get experience, but Uar Bernard might prove to be a slight exception at the NFL draft.
The Nigerian has virtually no high-level organized football experience, but his numbers posted at the NFL’s HBCU showcase have certainly turned heads.
Bernard, at 6-foot-4 and 306 pounds with 11-inch hands, nearly 36-inch arms and 6 percent body fat, logged a vertical jump of 39 inches and a broad jump of 10-10, which is marked as 14 inches more than any other defensive tackle at this year’s NFL combine.
His 40-yard dash came in at 4.63 seconds.
“Hands down, he is the most explosive athlete I’ve ever seen in my life,” trainer Jordan Luallen told The Athletic. “He broad jumped 10-10, and it was effortless. At 306 pounds. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“The numbers don’t even do him justice,” quarterback coach George Whitfield added to the outlet.
Bernard was first discovered as a basketball player in Nigeria, and a coach told him to try American football.
Since then, he participated in several camps in Africa before getting selected for the NFL’s International Player Pathway.
Now, the 21-year-old, along with a few other prospects, will be in Pittsburgh for the draft starting on April 23. Bernard could go on day three, and his progress is something NFL teams should take into account.
He began training on Jan. 18 in Florida, weighing in at 295 pounds with 11 percent body fat. He first completed the vertical jump at 32 inches and broad-jumped 9-4.
Outside conditioning and physical tests, the IPP program also runs football IQ tests and physical football drills.
Bernard has picked up many things just from watching YouTube, but what remains to be biggest challenge will be learning the ins and outs of playing on the defensive line.
The most notable IPP alum stands as Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata, who was drafted in the seventh round (233rd overall) in the 2018 draft.
English (US)