What attracted the Eagles is not a university record or NCAA seasons, Bernard has none. It’s just his physique. Defensive tackle measuring 1m93 for 139 kg, it has only 6% body fat. The numbers were already staggering, but it was during the Pro Day of the International Player Pathway program that Bernard really turned heads.
He ran the 40 yards in 4.63 seconds, made a vertical jump of 99 cm and a long jump of 3m30, for a perfect Relative Athletic Score of 10.0. A score that less than a handful of players reach each year across all positions.
The comparison that circulated behind the scenes? Quarterback coach George Whitfield summarized the general impression: "It’s like watching Victor Wembanyama. The numbers don’t even do it justice.”
From basketball to the NFL, to African camps
Bernard grew up playing soccer and basketball before losing his father when he was a teenager. It was a coach who suggested that he try playing football after seeing him play on a basketball court. He didn’t take long to get noticed. Former Giants and Falcons defender Osi Umenyiora, himself of Nigerian origin and ambassador for football development in Africa, invited him to participate in the NFL Nigeria 2024 camp.
Bernard then chained camps on the continent before being selected for the International Player Pathway (IPP), the NFL program designed to identify elite athletes outside of the US university circuits.
The Eagles know exactly what they’re doing. In 2018, they had already bet on an IPP product by choosing Jordan Mailata, an Australian rugby player, in the 7th round. Mailata is now one of the best left-handed tackles in the NFL. A model that Bernard knows well. "The first day I met Mailata, he told me to use my talents to bless my family," said Bernard. "He is like a model for me."
GM Howie Roseman fully accepted this bet: "We wanted to give that kid a shot. We spent a lot of time with him. Coach Hurtt went to see him and worked on it. It’s an exciting project. He clearly has the tools in his body. But we know that it will take time, a lot of time.”
First of his tribe in the NFL
Beyond the sporting aspect, Bernard measures the symbolic weight of his selection. "It means a lot to me because I’m the first of my tribe to reach this level in the NFL," he said. "I am like an ambassador for young people at home. Carrying the flag of Nigeria is a great responsibility." On the night of the draft, he went on stage wrapped in his country’s colors.
He was one of the two IPP prospects to hear their name this weekend, alongside Seydou Traoré, a Senegalese tight end drafted by the Dolphins. But unlike the latter, who had collegial experience, Bernard starts from scratch on a technical level.
Maybe it’s not an obstacle. If the story Mailata has learned something in the NFL, it is that raw talent, well developed, can exceed all predictions. The Eagles, on the other hand, seem to believe it.
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À propos de l'auteur
Philemon MBALE
Rédacteur sportif
Passionné de sport depuis toujours, partage avec vous les dernières actualités et analyses du monde sportif.