Damone

Clark

Clark (6’2/239) had a standout 2021 season in which he ranked No. 2 in the nation with 11.3 tackles per game. Clark sniffs out the offense’s intentions quickly and triggers without hesitation. He has the speed and lateral agility to make plays on the perimeter along with the toughness and play strength to plug gaps between the tackles. Clark is also one of the most consistently-reliable tacklers in this class. He’s way more comfortable playing forward and was at times a coverage liability at LSU. Clark was seen as a Day 2 prospect heading into the Combine, but a herniated disc discovered during the medical process led to spinal fusion surgery in March, putting his rookie season in doubt. If he returns the same player, he’ll provide Dallas with an early-down fixer in run defense.

That’s out of 2419 LBs, so Clark’s (6'3"/245) athleticism is clearly no joke. He graded at over a nine in the 40 (and both 10 and 20 yard splits) and the broad jump, with only his three-cone merely ranking as good. Clark was a fast riser before it was discovered he needed spinal fusion surgery, and he combines elite athleticism with great production in college, having made the All-SEC first team by racking up a whopping 135 tackles, with 15 of those coming for loss. He also had a pick, three passes defensed and two forced fumbles, so this guy really filled up the stat sheet. The surgery will no doubt drop him, and that could make Clark the steal of the draft if he fully recovers.

It’s a brutal blow for Clark, who was a fast riser in the draft process and expected to go no later than Day 2 of the upcoming draft. With Clark expected to miss his whole rookie season that is now very unlikely, but Clark is expected to make a full recovery, thankfully. Clark was in the running to be the next LB taken after the top tier of Nakobe Dean and Devin Lloyd, and Clark could be a massive steal if he drops significantly due to his injury given his production and accolades at LSU.

There are certainly some top tier linebackers in this draft including Utah’s Devin Lloyd, and Georgia’s Nakobe Dean, but there’s another SEC linebacker to watch for in LSU’s Damone Clark. ESPN’s Jordan Reid notes that NFL scouts are higher on Clark (6'3/245) coming into the combine than the media and he’s someone to watch out for. When you look at his stats and accolades this season, this is certainly true. This season Clark was a two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Week, named to the All-SEC first team, and was a finalist for the Dick Butkus Award, which ended up going to Nakobe Dean. If you look at his highlights, he’s an exceptional tackler, especially against the run by holding running backs to short gains. NFL Next Gen Stat so far gives him an overall rating of 83, but that could rise with a good of testing.

Clark (6'3/245) led all SEC players with 135 tackles on the season, and was awarded first team All-SEC honors by the league’s head coaches. Clark was a two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Week and a finalist for the Butkus Award, which ended up going to Georgia’s Nakobe Dean. In addition to his 135 tackles, Clark also had 23 tackles per Pro Football Focus, to go along with six sacks, three forced fumbles and one interception.