The NFL looks far and wide for talent. Its 2026 search may have brought the freakiest prospect in history. It\u2019s a big headline given how many workout warriors there have been, and it promises no success. But Uar (pronounced \u201cooh-are\u201d) Bernard is catching the attention of draftniks interested in learning more about the prospect with arguably the best athletic profile in recent NFL draft memory.<\/p>\n
Bernard is part of the NFL\u2019s International Pathway Program (IPP), instituted several years ago in order to give people overseas \u2013 often with limited or no football experience \u2013 a chance to live an NFL dream. Pittsburgh has even shown interest in them in the past, once bringing in rugby player and boxer OT Travis Clayton for a visit.<\/a> The Buffalo Bills drafted him in the seventh round. Tonga OT Giovanni Manu started Week 5 for the Detroit Lions this season. Jordan Mailata is easily the most successful example, becoming a franchise left tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles.<\/p>\n The IPP isn\u2019t just a good story. There\u2019s been tangible success.<\/p>\n Listed as a defensive lineman, Bernard is attempting to be the next. At his workout, he wow\u2019d in ways few have before. Per Lance Zierlein, Bernard weighed in at 6045, 306 pounds. He has 35 3\/5-inch arms, 11-inch hands, and nearly an 86-inch wingspan. His 40 time sat in the mid-high 4.6\u2019s, he jumped 39 inches in the vertical, 10\u201910\u201d in the broad, and put up 31 reps on the bench press (all the more impressive given his long arms).<\/p>\n Numbers aside \u2013 just look at him. He\u2019s lab-built.<\/p>\n Here were his measurements and testing. The greatest combo of physical traits and athletic performance\/testing I’ve ever seen. He’s extremely raw and just started playing so he’s a practice squad type at best but teams bet on traits so he he could be a late 7th or a PFA. https:\/\/t.co\/fC72owDQ9j<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/nbgZPNVdY4<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) April 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Zierlein, son of former Steelers\u2019 offensive line coach Larry, is often measured in his takes. He\u2019s been writing reports on prospects forever and few are better. It\u2019s why NFL.com trusts him to produce the site\u2019s reports. Even he couldn\u2019t hide his excitement about Bernard.<\/p>\n \u201cNever seen anything like it,\u201d he tweeted Friday morning.<\/p>\n Never seen anything like it. Doesn’t make him a good football player but does make him an elite speciman and an absolute creature as the scouting community would say.<\/p>\n \u2014 Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) April 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n So who is Bernard? The Athletic\u2019s Bruce Feldman, king of honoring college football\u2019s \u201cfreak athletes,\u201d appropriately wrote the article<\/a> on Bernard\u2019s background. Born in Nigeria (in this video,<\/a> he says he grew up in Kano), he grew up playing basketball and got exposed to American Football through YouTube clips. Here\u2019s a six-year-old video of him dunking with ease.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Joining the IPP, he\u2019s been trained by Jordan Luallen in Florida. Bernard attended the HBCU Showcase held in the Washington Commanders\u2019 practice facility, where he turned out his immaculate workout this past Monday.<\/p>\n Skyler Fulton, head of the IPP, is confident Bernard will get drafted. Zierlein is inclined to agree. A team will choose the upside of Bernard in the seventh round in the hopes of rounding out the predictable rough edges in his game.<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth the risk, which is to say, there isn\u2019t much of one. Seventh-round picks come and go, and Bernard will carry international exempt status. That\u2019ll allow teams to carry 91 players during the summer and 17 on the practice squad, a perfect \u201cstash\u201d for his rookie season while he learns the ropes. Pittsburgh has three seventh-round selections. Using one on Bernard certainly makes sense.<\/p>\n The NFL Draft is full of workout warriors. The phrase is coined for Mike Mamula, a 7th overall pick in 1995 who wow\u2019d in his testing but never had a meaningful career. Vernon Gholston is a more recent example. But those were top-end picks with high expectations. Bernard isn\u2019t in that camp. But he\u2019s in a league of his own. He\u2019s the most athletic freak the draft has ever seen. What does that mean for his career? No one knows. But some NFL team is about to take the chance and find out.<\/p>\n