Uar Bernard and Joshua Weru arrived in Philadelphia possessing athletic traits that few NFL prospects can match. Vic Fangio provided a reminder Wednesday that exceptional testing numbers cannot replace years of football experience.
Asked about the two Eagles rookies, Fangio delivered a characteristically blunt assessment.
“They’re light years away,” Fangio said.
The evaluation sounds harsh without context, but neither Philadelphia nor the players entered training camp expecting immediate results. Bernard and Weru joined the organization through the NFL’s International Player Pathway program after following unconventional routes to professional football. Bernard had never played a snap of organized football before the Eagles selected him with the No.
251 pick in April. The 6-foot-4, 306-pound former basketball player from Nigeria ran the 40-yard dash in 4.63 seconds and recorded a 39-inch vertical jump during the pre-draft process.
Weru arrived as an undrafted rookie after playing rugby in Kenya. At 6-foot-4 and 244 pounds, he ran a 4.45-second 40, produced a 41½-inch vertical jump and recorded an 11-foot-2 broad jump.
Those measurements explain Philadelphia’s interest. Fangio’s comments explain the challenge.
Bernard must learn defensive alignments, hand placement, leverage, blocking schemes and the physical demands of playing inside. Weru faces a similar learning curve as he transitions to edge rusher, where he must recognize run concepts, develop pass-rush moves, and understand coverage responsibilities.
The Eagles are prioritizing development over immediate dominance. Every padded practice gives Bernard and Weru experiences most rookies accumulate in high school and college. Mistakes are inevitable because both are learning the sport while competing against NFL players. Philadelphia successfully developed Jordan Mailata after he arrived from a rugby background, but his story required years of patience and should not establish an unrealistic timetable for every international prospect.
Fangio did not dismiss Bernard or Weru’s potential. He acknowledged the distance separating that potential from dependable NFL performance. The Eagles made two long-term investments in rare athletes. Their task is giving each player enough time and instruction to become a football player.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Eagles face long development process with two elite international athletes
