Josh Weru
| Born | Joshua Weru 2003 (age 22–23) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 17 st 6 lb (111 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | Loughborough University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Football career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 46 – Philadelphia Eagles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Linebacker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2026: undrafted | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Joshua Weru is an international rugby union player, who plays for the Kenyan National Team as a Number 8.[1] He is also a linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL).[2]
Career
At 14 years old, Weru joined the Northampton Saints Academy.
On the 3 August 2022, Josh Weru signed a professional contract with Northampton Saints after graduating from their Under-18 set up. His main strength was his ball carrying ability with academy coach, Will Parkin saying: “His ball-carrying ability is amongst the very best we've seen at Under-18s level”.[3]
Unfortunately, late in 2022 he lost his contract with Northampton, before he managed to debut for the senior team, due to his aspirations to play for the Kenyan National Team.[4] Under the RFU's eligibility criteria, to secure a working visa to play professional rugby, a player from a Tier 3 nation (such as Kenya) has to have a minimum of 10 international Test caps, of which three must be played during the previous 24 months.[5]
In December of 2025, Weru was named to the NFL's International Player Pathway program, making him a prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft.[6][7]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
244 lb (111 kg) |
33+1⁄4 in (0.84 m) |
9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m) |
6 ft 7+3⁄4 in (2.03 m) |
4.45 s | 1.59 s | 2.63 s | 4.35 s | 7.66 s | 41.5 in (1.05 m) |
11 ft 2 in (3.40 m) |
18 reps |
| All values from HBCU Combine/IPP Pro Day[8][9][10][11] | ||||||||||||
In April 2026 Weru was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL as an undrafted free agent.[12]
International career
In 2020 at only 16 years old Weru was called up to the Kenya U20s squad by Simbas head coach Paul Odera.[13]
In 2022 Weru was called up to Kenyan National Team[14] for the 2023 Rugby World Cup Final Qualification Tournament, where he scored on debut. Coming off the bench to run a 60 metre try in Kenyas 68-14 loss to the USA.[15] Weru earned 2 more caps in the remaining matches in the tournament, against Portugal (in which he started at Number 8) and Hong Kong.[1]
International tries
| Try | Opposing team | Location | Venue | Competition | Date | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | Dubai, UAE | The Sevens Stadium | 2023 Rugby World Cup Repechage | 6 November 2022 | Loss | 68-14 |
References
- ^ a b "Josh WERU profile and stats". all.rugby. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- ^ "Joshua Weru". Philadelphiaeagles.com.
- ^ "Saints sign Weru into Senior Academy set-up". Northampton Saints. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- ^ "News // Weru departs Northampton Saints". Northampton Saints. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- ^ "Weru situation explained after young forwards departure from saints sparks social media questions". Northampton Chronicle and Echo.
- ^ "Kenya's Joshua Weru Named in NFL International Player Pathway Class of 2026". Pulse Sports.
- ^ "Former Kenya Simbas ace among athletes in 2026 NFL International Player Pathway". Mozzart Sport.
- ^ "Joshua Weru College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
- ^ "Joshua Weru RAS". RAS.Football. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
- ^ "Four International Player Pathway program athletes to know ahead of 2026 NFL Draft". NFL.com. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
- ^ "Who is Joshua Weru? Why The Eagles Other IPP Player From Africa Can Be A Force With Uar Bernard". SI.com. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
- ^ "Eagles add an intriguing prospect from the NFL International Player Pathway". Eagles Wire.
- ^ "Highly rated Kenyan youngster Joshua Weru loses pro-rugby contract with English side Northampton Saints | MozzartSportKe". www.mozzartsport.co.ke. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- ^ "Wamalwa, Weru called to Simbas squad for World Cup repechage".
- ^ "Final Qualification Tournament players we'd love to see at Rugby World Cup 2023". Asia Rugby. 10 November 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2023.