Kei'Trel Clark Selected by Cardinals - Fit, Grade and Scouting Report

The Arizona Cardinals added more secondary depth via the 2023 NFL Draft with Kei'Trel Clark. Here's everything you need to know.

Author:
Richie Bradshaw
Publish date:
Apr 29, 2023 4:23 PM EDT

In this story:

Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals added cornerback Garrett Williams during day two of the 2023 NFL Draft, but didn't let them stop them from adding another guy on day three in the form of Louisville cornerback Kei'Trel Clark.

Clark, who always found himself in near-full-time roles during his four-year college stint, will bring lots of playing experience from his days at Liberty and Louisville. Clark played a lot of outside corner and has some ball skills with five interceptions, including a three-pick season in 2021.

At the next level, it feels easy to project the undersized corner into the slot. However, the 5'10" 181lbs. cornerback didn't look entirely comfortable inside in college and it could be a bit of a process to get him ready there.

Here's a snip of Lance Zierlein's profile for Clark from NFL.com:

"Clark is small but fast. He plays with twitchy feet and a competitive demeanor when challenging the throw. He’s capable of stalking short and intermediate routes with a feel for the passing lane, but his lack of size and length shows up down the field. While the ball skills and athletic traits work in his favor, trouble with run support and big slot targets could be difficult obstacles to overcome in the NFL." --Lance Zierlein

(Click for full profile for Clark at NFL.com)

With that in mind, this transition will require time and patience. His fit is obvious for a team that desperately needs defensive backs, but this is still a pick that will need time to develop. Special teams feel more than reasonable for him to compete for, but not as a return man.

Having depth in the secondary is so important in today's NFL and few teams have found that out the hard way more than the Cardinals. With Clark's play experience and athleticism, he feels like a good value late in the draft and could find some play time even as a sixth-round rookie.