"The Next Jordan Mailata? Uar Bernard’s Insane Physical Gifts Have Eagles Interested

Noted college football analyst Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, known for his annual “Freak List” of super-athletes, hadn’t heard of Uar Bernard earlier this week.

The NFL had.

And already, the lore surrounding the fledgling 6-foot-4½, 306-pound defensive line prospect from a small village in Nigeria is spreading with Andre the Giant-like legend.

In a league filled with freak athletes, the NFL has never seen one quite like this. Bernard ran a 4.63-second 40-yard dash at his weight and posted an NBA-like 39-inch vertical leap at the NFL’s HBCU Showcase earlier this week.

What’s even more eye-catching is his 10-10 broad jump — a mark that foreshadows incredible explosion and helps explain why he’s projected inside on the defensive line. He did all of this while possessing 11-inch hands, nearly 36-inch arms, and with a reported body fat percentage as low as 6%.

If ever there was a unicorn in the eyes of NFL scouts, Bernard fits the description.

Philadelphia, of course, has a proven track record of plucking physical freaks with elite traits and turning them into stars. Just look at left tackle Jordan Mailata, who developed from an Australian rugby novice who once needed help strapping on his helmet into the best football player in the world in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus.

Already, Indianapolis and Denver have scheduled private workouts for Bernard, according to NFL sources, and the Eagles are among several other teams seeking a closer look.

Jordan Luallen, who has been training Bernard for the NFL Draft in Florida along with other International Player Pathway program hopefuls, told Feldman he’s never seen a pure athlete like Bernard.

“Hands down, he is the most explosive athlete I’ve ever seen in my life,” Luallen told The Athletic. “He broad jumped 10-10, and it was effortless. At 306 pounds. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Bernard is one of two IPP prospects the league believes could be drafted later this month, along with Josh Weru, a 6-4½, 244-pound edge prospect who jumped 41½ inches and broad-jumped 11-2, according to Feldman.

Long Odds

Eagles defensive line coach Clint Hurtt — If the Eagles were to get Uar Bernard, it would be up to defensive line coach Clint Hurtt to develop him. | John McMullen/Eagles SI

There are now 32 IPP exemptions — one for each team — making it more likely that someone will take a late-round flier on players like Bernard and Weru, just as the Eagles did with Mailata in 2018.

In truth, there haven’t been a ton of IPP success stories to date around the league, largely because patience, technique, and fundamentals must be added to the raw physical gifts for any kind of return on investment.

To date, the program which was launched in 2017, has successfully placed over 30 international athletes onto NFL rosters, providing a direct route for non-American talent. Key successes after Mailata have been much more temepered like fullback Jakob Johnson (FB), and edge defender Efe Obada, who have been contributors.

The Eagles stashed Mailata on the back end of the roster for two-plus seasons (it would have been three if injuries hadn’t created an opportunity for the star left tackle). Few teams are willing to exercise that kind of patience.

That slow burn through the Mailata process might make Philadelphia the best long-term situation for Bernard, a player who would be mentored by well-regarded defensive line coach Clint Hurtt.

However, the Eagles are entering the 2026 draft with no seventh-round picks and just one sixth-rounder (No. 197 overall), so the odds of Bernard starting his NFL journey in Philadelphia aren’t great.