Kei'Trel

Clark

Baker entered the league’s concussion protocol earlier this week after going down in Week 16’s game against the Falcons. The star safety will miss at least one game due to his brain injury, with backup safety Kitan Crawford looking like the next man up to fill his role. In addition to Baker, the Cardinals also ruled out LT Paris Johnson (knee), and CB Kei’Tre Clark (knee) for Week 17.

Clark (5’10/181) was lightly recruited but landed a late offer to Liberty where he started seven games as a true freshman before transferring to Louisville. He immediately became a fixture in the Cardinals’ secondary, earning three-consecutive seasons of All-ACC status. He was most effective in his first two UL campaigns, earning a solid 72.0 PFF coverage grade in that span with 23 PBU and four interceptions as a primary outside corner. In 2022 he transitioned part-time to the slot, where he logged 252 of his 711 snaps. He was clearly uncomfortable having never played inside before, and it dragged his performance down as is evidenced by his woeful 58.5 PFF coverage grade and nine penalties. Despite difficulty transitioning to the slot, Clark boosted his draft value with a lock-down performance at the Shrine Bowl and 89th percentile 4.42s 40-yard dash. He’s at his best in zone coverage where he can take a piece of the field and police it, but his diminutive stature is going to make life tough on the outside against bigger NFL wideouts. How Clark handles the slot corner position at the NFL will determine how successful he will be as a pro.

Clark (5'10/165), who joined the Louisville program as a transfer from Liberty in mid-July, has been out of the lineup since the team’s September 26 loss at Pittsburgh. The sophomore is apparently good to go for Saturday’s trip to South Bend, which is good news for Louisville as starter Marlon Character will miss the first half after he was ejected from Friday’s loss at Georgia Tech for targeting.

Clark was one of the players who left the Flames near the end of June while citing cultural sensitivity at the university. Louisville head coach Scott Satterfield told reporters that Clark is appealing to play right away, and after breaking up six passes and picking up 13 tackles for Liberty in 2020, he could be an impact player for the Cardinals if he does gain that eligibility. If not, he’ll have three years of eligibility beginning in 2021.

Clark was one of the players who entered the transfer portal from Liberty near the end of June while citing cultural insensitivity at the university. He was a contributor for the Flames as a freshman; registering six pass breakups and 38 tackles in 13 games played. The 5-foot-10, 160-pound defender likely will have to sit out the 2020 season to satisfy NCAA requirements, but would have three years of eligibility starting in 2021.

Clark (5'10/160) and fellow CB Tayvion Land both entered the portal on Monday, both citing cultural insensitivity at the university as reason for their impending departures. These departures leave a smoking crater at cornerback for the Flames, as the pair was set to play significant minutes -- both were on the path to see starts -- this fall. Playing as a true freshman last season, Clark logged 38 tackles with six pass break-ups across 13 games played.