Despite Never Playing Football, Nigeria’s Uar Bernard Becomes First African Pathway Player Drafted in NFL

The Philadelphia Eagles, an American football franchise in the NFL, have drafted Nigeria’s Uar Bernard in the 2026 NFL draft.

The Abuja native was announced as the 251st overall pick in the seventh round at the Draft Theatre in Pittsburgh on Saturday night, with the 21-year-old athlete in attendance.

He joins the Eagles as the first-ever Nigerian to be drafted into the NFL.

Bernard, a defensive tackle, joins through the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program.

He is also the first African to reach the league through the program.

Bernard, a former basketball player, had never played an American football game before his draft.

He was invited to the 2024 NFL Nigeria camp organised by Osi Umenyiora, a former NFL star with the New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons of Nigerian heritage.

He later earned a place in the 2025 NFL Africa camp in Cairo, Egypt, where he made the International Player Pathway Class of 2026, and completed a 10-week training in Florida to make the draft.

Reacting to his draft selection, Bernard thanked God for a dream come true. He also disclosed that he holds the belief that he is going to get better with the drills.

“It’s a dream come true for me because I’ve worked hard for this. I’ve not played football, but I’ve gone through some drills that made me believe that I’m going to get better every day,” he said.

“I thank God for everything. I thank God for life. I thank God for the opportunities given to me to be drafted by the Eagles.”

Howie Roseman, general manager of the Eagles, added that while Bernard has the “tools” for the league, the franchise is taking a chance on the 6ft 4in player who weighs 306 pounds.

“We wanted to take the chance on the kid. Obviously, we’ve had great success with that program. We spent a lot of time with him. You know, just for us, it was a passion project,” Roseman said.

“Obviously, he’s got a lot of tools in his body. [We] understand it’s going to take time. It’s going to take a lot of time here.”

Bernard will have his first taste of NFL action at various camps starting in May, before pre-season action in August.

The regular season will begin in September.