The Philadelphia Eagles initially didn't have a seventh-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but multiple trades gave them three to work with, and one of them ended up landing the team one of the most unique prospects in NFL Draft history.
With the 251st pick of the draft, the Eagles selected defensive lineman Uar Bernard. The International Pathway Program participant has been on everyone's radar over the last month after incredible workout numbers: a 40-yard dash time of 4.60 seconds, a vertical jump of 39 inches, a broad jump of 10 feet and six inches, and a bench press of 31 reps. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman told the media after the draft that he had every intention when he traded for those seventh-round picks to get Bernard.
"We wanted to take the chance on the kid," Roseman said via The Athletic's Zach Berman. "Obviously, we've had great success with that program. We spent a lot of time with him. (Clint Hurtt) went down there and spent the day with him, worked him out. Just for us, it was a passion project. Understand he has the tools in his body, and it's going to take time. It's going to take a lot of time. But it's pretty cool. We spent a lot of time talking about 'unusual.' Certainly unusual with that guy."
Howie Roseman is ready to take the risk on Uar Bernard
Bernard has never played football before in his life, so that is already a massive risk that the Eagles have taken. It's one the franchise has taken before and paid off big time.
There's a mammoth left tackle on the Eagles, Jordan Mailata, who was in a similar situation. Mailata played rugby before football, and he quickly became the dominant tackle that fans know so well now.
The mystery behind Bernard is real, and no one has a clue what kind of player he will be. It's going to be an interesting project for defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and defensive line coach Clint Hurtt to take on as they try to make Bernard a star.
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Most seventh-round selections don't end up doing much in the NFL, so that's why it's smart to take a chance on someone who might be a bit unconventional. It's worked wonders for the Eagles in the past, and it's worth doing with Bernard.
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