Bernard, the 251st overall pick, was born in Nigeria and was introduced to American football through regional camps in Africa. He was eventually selected for the IPP program, which was established in 2017 to identify and develop international talent, attracting attention at every stage of his progress.
This was especially true at the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Showcase and IPP Pro Day, where he set multiple HBCU combined records. The 6-foot-4, 306-pound Bernard flashed a 4.63-second 40-yard dash, a 39-inch vertical jump and a 10-10 broad jump, all of which were the best in tournament history by a player over 300 pounds.
Along with Miami Dolphins tight end Seydou Traore (No. 180 overall), Bernard was one of two IPP prospects to hear their name called this weekend. Unlike Traore, who played in college at Arkansas State and Mississippi State, Bernard has never been involved in organized football.
He’ll start at ground zero in that regard, but given his athleticism and drive, teams would be hard-pressed to find better clay to mold.
“We wanted to take a chance on the kid,” Roseman said. “Obviously, we’ve had great success with this program. We spent a lot of time with him. (Defensive line) coach (Clint) Hurtt went out 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. Understandably, it’s going to take time. But we spent a lot of time here. talking about unusual, you know, and certainly unusual with that guy.”
Hurtt, along with defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and head coach Nick Sirianni, will be tasked with getting Bernard going on a defensive line that already has an abundance of big men, led by Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter.
Bernard’s goal is to earn a place and work alongside them, but he has already achieved an incredible milestone as a relative newcomer to the sport.
“That [means] a lot for me because I’m the first from my tribe to be at this level of the NFL,” Bernard said of his pride in representing Nigeria. “So more like an ambassador for the youth back home. And carrying the flag of Nigeria is a big task for me to work hard and set an example for the youth, for the young guys who come from Nigeria.”