Who Is Uar Bernard? The 306-Pound NFL Draft Prospect From Nigeria With 6% Body Fat
Since the NFL introduced the International Player Pathway program in 2017, it has produced many NFL prospects from all over the world. While the program has sent over 40 international prospects to the NFL, but their most impressive one could be on his way. Uar Bernard, a 6-foot-4 defensive tackle from Abuja, Nigeria, has been turning heads with his elite athleticism as we approach the NFL Draft.
Like many other international prospects, Bernard didn't grow up playing football. In fact, he didn't play organized sports at all. According to Business Day, Bernard's first sport was basketball, which he started playing for his club and school teams at 16. His first taste of football was in 2023, when a local couch scouted him for a camp in Abuja. That camp lead to him being invited to the NFL Nigeria Camp in 2024 by former NFL Player Osi Umenyiora, and he returned to the NFL Cairo Camp in 2025 to earn a spot in the IPP program.
While Bernard doesn't have an extentsive football background, his elite physical tools make him one of the most intriguing prospects in the upcoming draft. Bernard boasts a vertical leap that in comprable to some NBA players. The average NFL defensive tackle has a 25 to 28 inch vertical, Bernard blows that out of the water with his 39 inches. His broad jump of 10 feet 10 inches is over a foot longer than any defensive tackle at the NFL combine this year.
Bernard is lean and strong, testing at only 6% body fat. As if his physical profile wasn't impressive enough, he is fast too. He clocked a 4.63-second 40 yard dash, which would make him the fastest defensive tackle at this years combine by a large margin. On the Relative Athletic Score, a scale used to evaulate draft prospects, Bernards measurables give him a perfect score.
Does anybody have Nigeria vs. Kenya all-22? https://t.co/c7aah7F9wM pic.twitter.com/AhbahGCsp1
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) April 3, 2026
Making it to the NFL is hard, especially when you've never played organized football before, but Uar Bernard has a very good chance. He has a once in a lifetime athletic profile that has NFL coaches and scouts salivating. Bernard is fully bought in too, embracing the challenges that come with learning the game.
“My strength is my athleticism, my work ethic and my ability to adapt quickly,” Bernard told Business Day. “But beyond that, I’ve learned that you have to truly love the game. That’s what pushes you to do more.”