Uar Bernard: the ‘rarest physical specimen’ who exposes the NFL’s scouting flaws

The Philadelphia Eagles selected the Nigerian defensive lineman before he had even played a down of football. More teams should take risks on global talent

Uar Bernard has become a source of borderline indecent fascination in the NFL – the kind of prospect who underscores how athletes are identified and the inherent limits of pro football scouting itself. A swole 6ft 4in and 306lbs, Uar (pronounced OO-ar) Bernard doesn’t just look the part of a fearsome defensive lineman; fans post his shirtless photos next to ones of Myles Garrett, the game-wrecking Cleveland Browns pass rusher who set the regular-season sack record last year. Veteran NFL analyst Lance Zierlein described Bernard as “one of the rarest of physical specimens I’ve seen in the sport”. Other people who have spent their lifetimes in football say Bernard looks like a Marvel creation.

George Whitfield – who has been a private coach to pros such as Andrew Luck and Cam Newton – likened Bernard to the NBA’s 7ft 4in Victor Wembanyama, another sports star whose physical traits seem alien even among other professional athletes. Bernard’s testing numbers bordered on otherworldly: a 4.63-second 40-yard dash, a 39-inch vertical, the 10ft 10in broad jump – or 14in farther than the next-best defensive end prospect. Scouts were awestruck by Bernard’s 6% body fat – which would be considered low for a marathon runner – down from the 11% that he started with at the beginning of his draft training four months earlier.