The Indianapolis Colts are scheduled to meet with IPP defensive line prospect Uar Bernard (Nigeria) this week, according to Luca Evans of the Denver Post.
The International Player Pathway (IPP) has been an avenue for international draft prospects since early 2016. Created by the NFL to help bridge the gap between its sport and the rest of the world, this pipeline of sorts has seen fewer success stories than it has failed journeys. This is typically due to a lack of resources and/or exposure of the sport elsewhere; however, there have been notable wins out of the portal, such as Eagles star left tackle Jordan Mailata (Australia).
The intrigue and fascination surrounding this year’s top IPP prospect is solely based on his almost obscene athletic testing numbers and general measurables. Uar Bernard (pronounced “ooh-are”) was a hot topic of draft circle discourse last week for this very reason, thanks to the reporting from The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman.
Bernard showed up to the HBCU showcase last week ready to prove that he physically belongs in the NFL, and he did just that and then some. Perhaps his football experience (or lack thereof) will ultimately hold him back from a successful career, but it’s objectively impossible to deny his athletic feats.
His frame is impressive enough as he stands at 6’4.5”, 306 lbs, and sports 11-inch bear paws and near-36-inch arms, but it was his athleticism that blew all draftniks away.
Bernard not only ran a 4.63 sec 40-yard-dash, but he also vertical-jumped 39 inches and broad-jumped 10-10 — 14 inches more than any defensive tackle in the 2026 draft class. His trainer, Jordan Luallen, has coached up plenty of ‘freak athletes’ during his time as a professional, but Bernard takes the cake.
“Hands down, he is the most explosive athlete I’ve ever seen,” Luallen told Feldman. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Unsurprisingly, the Chris Ballard-managed Colts are legitimately interested in Uar Bernard’s early body of work. Being known to favor perhaps unproven players who are also confirmed to be top athletes is this front office’s calling card, so despite the recent deviation from the norm, using their open IPP exemption on a low-risk, high-reward player such as Bernard makes all the sense in the world. Additionally, this addition wouldn’t use a draft selection nor would it count against the 53-man roster.
NFL analyst Ryan Fowler also reports that, on top of his scheduled visits with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos, Bernard has gained legitimate interest from the following teams: San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, and Minnesota Vikings.
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