Nigerian with 'natural explosiveness' aiming for NFL spot

Uar Bernard, who hails from northern Nigeria, is hoping to be drafted by one of 32 NFL clubs later this month [NFL Africa] In under a fortnight, Uar Bernard's life could change forever. The Nigerian will travel to Pittsburgh with a handful of peers from the NFL's International Player Pathway (IPP) for this year's NFL Draft on 23-25 April. The 21-year-old works part-time as a personal trainer to help support his family, but getting picked by an NFL team could lead to him earning an annual salary in excess of $2m.

It would be a long way from his days growing up with four sisters and three brothers in Unguwa Uku, a village of roughly 2,500 inhabitants in northern Nigeria. What sets Bernard apart from the rest of this year's IPP group are his truly remarkable physical attributes. "There are very few people globally with his combination of size, speed and natural explosiveness," NFL Africa's Osi Umenyiora told BBC Sport Africa.

"In terms of pure physical talent, Uar sits right near the top among the athletes we've assessed through the programme. " Bernard stands 6 foot 4 1/2 inches tall and weighs in at 138kg (21st 12lb) but recently completed the NFL's 40-yard (36. 5m) dash in just 4.

63 seconds. He can vertically jump almost one metre high and his hand measurement (taken from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger with the hand outstretched) is 11in (28cm) while his arm measurement (from the tip of his middle finger to the shoulder blade) is 35. 8in (91cm).