International Player – Philadelphia adds a high-upside Nigerian defensive tackle Uar Bernard through the IPP pathway—an approach that echoes the Jordan Mailata gamble.
The Philadelphia Eagles used the NFL’s International Player Pathway again, selecting Nigerian defensive tackle Uar Bernard with the No. 251 pick in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
In doing so, Philadelphia is leaning hard into a familiar strategy: bet on raw development potential rather than proven college production, in a way that feels tightly linked to the franchise’s 2018 acquisition of Jordan Mailata.
The scouting hook around Bernard is impossible to ignore.. Listed around 6-foot-4 to 6-foot-5 and about 306 pounds. he comes with an extremely unusual athletic profile for a player carrying that weight—one that suggests he could learn NFL movement quickly. if he can be coached up fast enough.. His testing numbers from the IPP Pro Day and HBCU Showcase include a 4.63-second 40-yard dash. a 39-inch vertical. and a 10-foot-10 broad jump.. He also has near-36-inch arms and 11-inch hands. measurements that typically matter when a defensive tackle needs to generate leverage at the snap and keep his hands inside offensive pads.
But the more fascinating part of Bernard’s story is also the most challenging for any team expecting results quickly: he has never played organized football.. His football education began through a path that starts in Nigeria. where he grew up in a farming village and was first noticed for athleticism playing basketball.. Over three years. he attended multiple football camps across Africa. including one tied to former NFL defensive end Osi Umenyiora. before earning selection into the 2026 IPP class.
That timeline creates the kind of development math NFL teams love and fans often underestimate.. Bernard only began formal IPP training in January 2026. meaning he reached draft weekend after a little more than four months of structured instruction.. For a franchise building through competition and coaching, that’s both a risk and a rationale.. The risk is obvious: learning technique and system requirements is rarely linear for a player transitioning from playground or camp-level reps into full-contact. high-tempo professional play.
The rationale. though. is that the Eagles have already treated this type of bet like a long-term project with a real payoff—if the developmental environment is right.. Mailata’s rise from rugby convert to All-Pro left tackle and Super Bowl champion remains the most persuasive Eagles “proof of concept.” While Bernard is a defensive tackle. not an offensive tackle. the underlying idea is the same: if you can spot rare physical gifts and place a player into a system built to teach fundamentals. you can turn upside into impact.
Philadelphia also managed roster mechanics to keep the bet affordable.. The Eagles acquired the No.. 251 pick in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams, flipping a sixth-round selection into multiple late-round assets.. They enter this with a defensive tackle room already stocked, including Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, and Moro Ojomo.. That depth matters, because it allows Bernard to be developed without being rushed into immediate starting expectations.
Just as important is how the IPP designation can change how teams carry prospects early.. For Philadelphia. it provides flexibility to work with Bernard initially without counting against the 90-man roster limit. and it opens the possibility of stashing him on a 17th practice squad spot.. Translation: the Eagles can invest time. repetition. and coaching without forcing the player onto a timeline that the learning curve doesn’t support yet.
Development will fall largely under defensive line coach Clint Hurtt and player development assistant Matt Leo. whose own background includes time as an IPP product.. Having a staff member who has already lived the pathway can shorten the emotional and technical adjustment period—because the “what nobody tells you” part of transition football often matters as much as the X-and-O teaching.
This pick also signals something broader about how teams evaluate modern football talent.. The Eagles didn’t draft Bernard because he can already dominate in the trenches against NFL double-teams; they drafted him because his body and athletic testing suggest he could become something formidable after coaching refines the details.. If Bernard’s skill development matches the athletic ceiling suggested by his measurements. Philadelphia may be repeating the franchise’s most trusted formula: find unconventional entry points. then let the team’s coaching structure do the heavy lifting.
The question for fans is what to watch next.. With Bernard likely being built through the practice environment rather than immediate game reps. the most meaningful indicators will be how quickly he learns leverage. hand placement. and assignment discipline—skills that separate “measurable athlete” from “reliable NFL defensive tackle.” If the Eagles pull it off again. this draft choice could end up more than a late-round curiosity; it could become another chapter in Philadelphia’s ongoing habit of transforming high-upside projects into cornerstone players.