By Gavin Boyle
The Philadelphia Eagles drafted Nigerian Uar Bernard as their final pick, even though he has never played a down of football in his life, and Bernard had nothing but praise for the Lord.
“We wanted to take the chance on the kid. Obviously, we’ve had great success with [the NFL’s International Player Pathway] program. We spent a lot of time with him,” said Eagles Vice President and General Manager Howie Roseman. “Coach 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 out here. It was pretty cool. We spent a lot of time talking about unusual, you know, and certainly unusual with that guy.”
Related: 5 Powerful Moments of Faith at the 2026 NFL Draft
Bernard put on quite a performance at the NFL combine, posting a 4.63 40-yard dash and a 39-inch vertical jump despite standing at 6 foot, 4 inches and weighing 306 pounds. Bernard, however, is a physical specimen, with only six percent body fat. He is extremely thankful for the opportunity to play in the NFL and gave all the glory to the Lord for where He has placed him.
“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,” Bernard said after the draft. “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.”
Bernard was one of many players in his draft class who praised God for the opportunity to play in the NFL. No. 1 overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza, for example, thanked the Lord for the pathway He has placed him on.
“The last five months have been such a blessing by God. I can’t thank Him enough,” Mendoza said in his first interview after being selected by the Las Vegas Raiders, per Christhlete. “I’m just looking forward to getting to work, improving at the next level. College was fantastic. I’m so blessed to have that career.”
“Well, first off, I’m a man of God, and I believe that God has a plan. He’s blessed my family, blessed me, and I just can’t thank Him enough,” he added in a press conference. “And second of all, I also think that fortune favors the bold and that sometimes when you’re bold, and you bet on yourself, it’ll work out most of the time. And if it doesn’t work out, at least you’ll be able to at least sleep easily at night 20 years down the road, knowing you did everything possible to accomplish your goals. And that’s what I look forward to doing. Doing everything possible to accomplish my goals with this football club and helping in any way I can.”
It is amazing to see how the Lord is moving in the NFL and providing a platform to Christians who are not afraid to wear their faith on their sleeves and inspire the young men who look up to them to prioritize their faith. May Bernard have success as he begins his football journey while learning the game from the best players in the world.
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