PHILADELPHIA — Leave it to Howie Roseman to “target” a seventh-round pick.
That’s exactly what the Eagles GM did on Saturday, maneuvering the board like a maestro to bet low on Nigerian super-athlete Uar Bernard with the 251st overall selection.
Roseman didn’t even enter the draft weekend with a seventh-round pick. By Friday, he had acquired No. 244 overall — a throw-in from Minnesota in the blockbuster trade that sent Jonathan Greenard to Philadelphia for two third-round picks.
As things advanced on Saturday, Roseman was set pick at No. 197 by curiously moved back 10 spots to acquire Nos. 251 and 252 from the Los Angeles Rams.
The Eagles GM was able to pick up some offensive line depth at 207 with powerful Georgia offensive guard Micah Morris, and use No. 244 on Texas Tech safety Cole Wisniewski, a player Roseman compared favorably to Reed Blankenship and the type of high-IQ veteran college player who could potentially push veterans Marcus Epps and Michael Carter on the back end.
Everything was then in place for Bernard at No. 251.
“We wanted to take the chance on the kid,” Roseman said when asked if the move down was specifically about Bernard by Eagles On SI. “Obviously, we’ve had great success with that program [the International Player Pathway].”
The road for Bernard to Philadelphia was no accident.
The organization has a dedicated scout for the IPP and begins to focus on the players in the pool after the combine, according to Roseman.
Bernard’s athletic testing numbers were historic for a 6-foot-4, 306-pound athlete with 6% body fat, a 4.63 40-yard dash, a 39-inch vertical leap, and a broad jump of 10 feet, 10 inches.
The Eagles were sold. They sent defensive line coach Clint Hurtt to Florida to meet with Bernard and fellow IPP prospect Joshua Weru, who was signed as an undrafted free agent.
“He’s another guy who has unique traits in his body,” Roseman said of Weru.
Bernard, a fledgling defensive tackle, was the big fish, though.
Roseman was going to find a way to try to replicate Jordan Mailata, the signature success story of the IPP Program, on the defensive side.
“Just for us, it was a passion project,” the GM said. “Understand he has the tools in his body and it’s going to take time. It’s going to take a lot of time. But it’s pretty cool. We spent a lot of time talking about ‘unusual.’
“Certainly unusual with that guy.”
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