This year’s draft features likely top pick Fernando Mendoza, star running back Jeremiyah Love, combine standouts and sure first-rounders Sonny Styles and Kenyon Sadiq, as well as countless other intriguing players. Perhaps the most fascinating one is someone who has yet to take his first steps on the gridiron.

Nigerian defensive tackle prospect Uar Bernard has become a sweet story in this year’s pre-draft process thanks to his otherworldly athleticism and an article of The Athletic written by Bruce Feldman.

Feldman introduced the draft hopeful: “Jordan Luallen trained some of the most freakish athletes at the 2026 NFL combine: A 245-pound edge rusher who vertical-jumped 41 inches, a jumbo wide receiver who ran a 4.3 40, and a 293-pound defensive tackle who ran 4.8. But Luallen told The Athletic he’s never seen an athlete like the one he’s been training for the past 10 weeks for this year’s NFL draft. Uar Bernard (pronounced “ooh-are”) measured in earlier this week at the NFL’s HBCU showcase at 6-4 1/2, 306 pounds with 11-inch hands and almost 36-inch arms.”

According to analyst Ryan Fowler, the Vikings are one of five teams to have shown interest in hosting Bernard for a visit.

Bernard is a project that will likely take years to provide a return on investment, if he ever can. Yet, teams often spend their later draft picks on players with potential rather than selecting pro-ready athletes and Bernard fits that mold, though perhaps a little more extreme than usual.

Feldman added, “Other people who have spent their lifetimes in football say Bernard looks like a Marvel creation. Bernard’s body fat: 6 percent. He vertical-jumped 39 inches and broad-jumped 10-10, which was 14 inches more than any other defensive tackle did at this year’s combine. His 40-yard dash: 4.63.”

That’s indeed a marvel-like arsenal of physical tools.

According to NFL Next Gen Stats, he’s the most athletic defensive tackle prospect in over two decades of data. They posted on social media, “We ran Nigerian IPP prospect Uar Bernard’s numbers through the NGS athleticism models (predictive & raw) trained against DTs since 2003. Here’s how he scored relative to the 2026 draft class:
Athleticism Score: 96 (1st)
Raw ATH Score: 10.0 (1st)”

A terrible three-cone time hurt his still-excellent relative athletic score, but it’s worth wondering whether he’s really unable to change direction or if he botched the test. Given his movement skills, the latter theory might be more than just a conspiracy theory.

The NFL has been trying to grow the game internationally and the number of foreign players in the NFL is slowly rising. Few have turned out to become star players or even starters. The most prominent one is Eagles All-Pro tackle Jordan Mailata, an Australian with zero football experience prior to the 2018 draft.

Feldman noted, “Bernard began the training program Jan. 18 in Florida with Luallen. He came in at 295 pounds with 11 percent body fat. He vertical-jumped 32 inches and broad-jumped 9-4. To see the improvement in the 10 weeks of training is unlike anything Luallen has experienced. ‘He was very naturally gifted when he walked in, but he made substantial improvement on everything. He’s super freakin’ flexible, and he is way more fluid now.’”

Bernard grew up in a small village in Nigeria and wanted to pursue a career in real estate. Most people from there are farmers, he said, according to Feldman.

His football journey started when he was playing basketball and a coach suggested he should pick up football. A few football camps later, he was chosen by the International Pathway Program.

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That program is working with former players and coaches to teach the prospects the sport. YouTube has been another way for him to study defensive line play, especially Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald, who have caught his attention.

Without any college experience, there’s a good chance Bernard lacks the fundamentals to thrive in the NFL, needing a lot of work. However, players with such athletic feats will always draw attention as long-term projects.

Vikings defensive line coach Marcus Dixon left this offseason for the Dallas Cowboys. Ryan Nielsen was hired in that role. Nielsen has been a defensive line coach for two decades and a guy with his experience appears to be primed for that assignment.

Based on potential alone, he’ll likely hear his name called late in the draft as a flier and the Vikings could be the ones pulling that trigger.

Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.

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Janik Eckardt is a German sports nerd, who likes numbers and stats. He chose the Vikings to be his … More about Janik Eckardt

The SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) will lock horns with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the 10th game of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium will host the afternoon game on Sunday, April 5. The Ishan Kishan-led side will look to continue their good form after beating the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 65 runs in their previous game. The batting unit, including openers Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, and Heinrich Klaasen, will look to deliver again against the Super Giants.

Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant’s LSG will be keen to fight back after losing to the Delhi Capitals (DC) by six wickets in their opening game this season. The batting unit looked dismal as they were bundled out for 141 in 18.4 overs.

Here are three players who are likely to emerge as the leading run-scorers in the SRH vs LSG IPL 2026 match:

Abhishek Sharma

Abhishek Sharma enjoys a promising record against LSG in IPL. The southpaw slammed 59 runs off 20 balls against them last year. He previously smashed an unbeaten 75 off 28 deliveries against the same franchise in 2024. The 26-year-old also boasts a promising record in Hyderabad, amassing 521 runs in 19 innings with the help of one century and three fifties. When Abhishek gets going, he is tough to stop. The Punjab-born player slammed 141 off 55 balls against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the same venue last year. In the IPL, he has 1871 runs in 79 matches at a strike rate of 163.69, comprising one ton and nine fifties. Overall, in T20s, the left-hander has 5,296 runs in 183 games, comprising eight centuries and 32 fifties.

Travis Head

Like Abhishek Sharma, his SRH opening batter, Travis Head, also enjoys a good record against LSG in the IPL. The Aussie opener has slammed 89* (30) and 47 (28) in his two innings against the Lucknow-based franchise. Interestingly, both his knocks came at the same venue in Hyderabad. The 32-year-old has amassed 459 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of 181.42, including five fifties at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. In the IPL, Head has 1203 runs in 40 matches at a brilliant strike rate of 170.88, including one century and eight 50s. Overall in T20s, he has scored 4609 runs in 176 games, comprising two tons and 27 half-centuries.

Nicholas Pooran

LSG’s Nicholas Pooran has a stunning record against LSG in the IPL. The wicketkeeper-batter has amassed 356 runs in 10 matches at a strike rate of 202.27, including two half-centuries. In his last four innings against the Super Giants, he has returned with scores of 45 (26), 70 (26), 48* (26), and 44* (13), respectively. In Hyderabad, Pooran has 183 runs in four innings at a stunning strike rate of 244, including the aforementioned 70.

Pooran has amassed over 10,000 runs in T20s. The left-hander has 10,379 runs in 444 matches at a strike rate of 147.89, including four tons and 63 fifties. In the IPL, he has scored 2301 runs in 88 innings at an even higher strike rate of 168.57, hitting 14 fifties.