Four years ago, Virginia State offensive tackle Bruno Onwuazor knew nothing about football. He was certainly aware of it, but the sport simply isn't as popular in his home country of Nigeria. He didn't actually sit down and watch a game until graduation, but he didn't know exactly what was happening on the screen.

Four years later, Onwuazor is trying to take the next step of his professional career and join the professional ranks.

"It's an amazing experience," Onwuazor said. "I'm very grateful for this opportunity. I'm never going to take anything for granted. I put my best foot forward."

Onwuazor joined 58 other HBCU and International Player Pathway (IPP) prospects to show off their skill sets over the weekend at the BigBear.ai Training Center at Commanders Park, where the Washington Commanders hosted the HBCU Showcase and IPP Pro Day for the first time in franchise history. The three-day event featured prospects with drastically different paths, from those who are still learning the sport to others who have been playing football since they were kids, but all shared the dream of continuing to play the game at the highest level.

Just as they would at the National Scouting Combine that takes place in Indianapolis, prospects went through positional and combine drills -- such as the 40-yard dash, bench press and vertical jump -- and interviewed with NFL scouts. While only two HBCU players in the last three years have been drafted, the weekend was an important part of the process that could lead to training camp invites or, in the case of some IPP prospects, get signed outright.

For Onwuazor, it was the culmination of four years' worth of hard work. After consistently being told that he needed to play football, he decided to give it a try at the collegiate level. Aside from learning the sport, which was a challenge in its own right, he also had to mold his body to handle the rigors of the sport. He had the right height at 6-foot-8, but he only weighed 265 pounds, which simply wasn't going to cut it against college or NFL-level defensive linemen.

Onwuazor, now 320 pounds, was one of Virginia State's best offensive linemen in his final three seasons. He was the CIAA Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2024 and a two-time First Team all-conference selection. He feels like he did well during the showcase, saying his coaches did a good job of fixing his strengths and weaknesses. The No. 1 goal he had for the weekend: proving to teams that he prepared to play wherever they need him.

"I'm able to play both left and right tackle," Onwuazor said. "I'm somebody who's a really great learner, being able to pick up football as fast as I have in a short period of time compared to some of the guys who've been playing it their whole lives."

The showcase also offers a chance for prospects to compete against and be around fellow HBCU athletes looking to continue their careers. For Howard defensive lineman Noah Miles, that experience has been just as beneficial as performing for NFL scouts because of the bond he's built with players who have been introduced to the game in different ways.

"It's a great experience, because not many people go through this and not many people can talk to other people across the world who are going through the same situation you're going through," Miles said. "I feel like that's more important than numbers."

Still, Miles, who ended his career at Howard with 92 tackles and 16 sacks, is doing everything he can to get a spot on a training camp roster. He participated in Howard's pro day just three days before the HBCU showcase, so he wasn't sure how his numbers would look. He was actually pleased with the results, despite his body not feeling "one hundred percent."

But that's not out of character for Miles, who said he would bring motivation to an NFL team. For example, a coach told him early in his career that he had slow hands, so he dedicated a portion of his workout routine to improve his striking and hand strength. That work included everything from lifting weights to strengthening his fingers and forearms in a giant paint bucket full of rice.

The results showed up on the stat sheet. His improvements in his hand speed led to him being more disruptive and amassing 23 tackles for loss. Last season, Miles had 5.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage in the first five games and finished with eight in 12 games.

"We put offseason work in all the time, and it really just molded me into who I am to this day," Miles said.

Perhaps the most important takeaway of the weekend for prospects is that it is possible for them to achieve their goals of being in the NFL. Many players with HBCU ties have gone on to have fruitful professional careers, whether it's through the draft or earning a spot on a 53-man roster in training camp. One of the greatest HBCU players, Super Bowl-winning quarterback Doug Williams, was at the showcase watching prospects. Williams was the first Black quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl, helping Washington claim its second Lombardi Trophy.

Though it's been nearly 40 years since his final game with Washington, Williams is still regarded as one of the most influential HBCU players in college football and NFL history. His opinion also has significance for younger players like Bowie State defensive lineman Jamal Jones, who got a personal call from Williams before the HBCU Legacy Bowl.

"He's just always making sure he checks in with everybody, but I feel like he's really taking the time to make sure that I'm good and make sure that I know the expectations of what's coming up," Jones said.

Like many prospects, Jones said he hopes he can come back to the Commanders' facility, whether that be for their team-run local pro day or rookie minicamp. It would be an opportunity they have waited for their entire lives, and none of them would take it for granted.

"It's a testament to all the effort that I put in," Onwuazor said. "I pretty much sacrificed a lot of stuff in my first two years in college to be able to get good enough to be able to hold my own and to contribute to get better. So, I'm really grateful for that, and I put it all just to the blessing God has given me."