Talk about all eyes being on someone.
It was a harmless moment, one that any newcomer to the gridiron experiences. Philadelphia Eagles rookie seventh-rounder Uar Bernard got a quick assist from a teammate in tightening up his chinstraps before getting locked and loaded in a three-point stance. Moments later, Bernard fired out of his stance, performing a swim move, showing some agility, and then finishing the defensive line drill, replicating a fumble recovery in front of fired-up defensive line coach Clint Hurtt.
It was a simple, innocent sequence that went viral in a matter of moments.
Bernard now finds immersed in the world of football for the very first time, at the absolute highest level in the universe. It's akin to someone never dribbling a basketball and suddenly suiting up on an NBA roster, or a tennis hopeful who's never held a racket immediately training with the highest-ranked players on the planet.
Patience, and plenty of it, is paramount.
Clint Hurtt's most unique assignment to date
Defensive line coach Clint Hurtt, who traveled to Fort Myers, Florida to personally work out the 21-year old Abuja, Nigeria native prior to the NFL Draft, is celebrated as one of the best in the business at developing young talent. He's helped power the transformation of lesser-touted prospects such as Jalyx Hunt and Moro Ojomo into Sunday standouts. Now, of course the Uar Bernard experience is a completely different ballgame, because he hasn't played a single snap in his life. But what can't be taught are his otherworldy physical traits.
You can't teach size or speed
The measurements and numbers posted by Bernard - the 4.6 40-time at 6-foot-4 and 300 plus pounds - are already the stuff of legends. Hurtt now inhertis an unrefined mountain of a man with an extraordinary union of size, speed, and power. As the rookie mini-camp moved along, sure enough, Bernard was flashing those raw traits, and you could tell how excited Hurtt and his teammates were to have him out there.
With a roll of the dice, Roseman serves reminder that patience is needed
“We wanted to take the chance on the kid,” Eagles GM Howie Roseman remarked following draft weekend. “Obviously, we’ve had great success with that (IPP) program. We spent a lot of time with him. Coach [Clint] Hurtt went down there and spent the day with him, worked him out. You know, just for us, it was a passion project. Obviously, he’s got a lot of tools in his body. Understand it’s going to take time. It’s going to take a lot of time here.”
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With his first-ever weekend buckling up in the books, Bernard is just getting started on the gridiron. It's going to be a fascinating journey, one well worth watching every step of the way.
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