NFL Draft Profile: Kei'Trel Clark, Cornerback, Louisville Cardinals
In this story:
#13
Pos: CB
Ht: 5100
Wt: 181
Hand: 0828
Arm: 2958
Wing: 7238
40: 4.42
DOB: 3/19/2001
Hometown: Richmond, VA
High School: Manchester
Eligibility: 2023
Kei'Trel Clark
Louisville Cardinals
One Liner:
Clark is an undersized but aggressive corner who competes above his weight class thanks to his agility, ball skills, competitive toughness, and reaction time.
Evaluation:
Clark spends the majority of his time at Louisville in off-man and zone as an outside corner, which maximizes his ability to read and react to plays. He will likely play in the slot at the next level and has a chance to see playing time as a rookie because of his competitive nature and athletic profile. Clark has an excellent reaction time, leading him to break up throws at the catch point that other defensive backs can’t. He has extensive experience on special teams at Louisville, which only adds to his value as a former high school all-state punt returner. Clark’s agility and loose frame allow him to change directions quickly. He has a low backpedal, which he effortlessly flips his hips out of when transitioning to carry receivers vertically. Clark displays above-average ball skills, especially in contested catch situations. He aggressively drives on short throws, often breaking them up thanks to his reaction time and ball skills. The fourth-year junior showcased increased physicality in 2021, blowing up several wide receiver screens for big losses. He showed a quick downhill trigger on short throws and against the run. However, his aggressive nature sometimes backfired. Clark bit on double moves and play action several times, and he lacks the elite speed to recover when beaten in those situations. He sometimes pursued too far upfield and ran himself out of plays against the run. Clark has little to no experience playing in the slot or in press coverage at the college level. His small frame created issues against more physical receivers like Emeka Emezie. Despite being an aggressive downhill player, Clark’s tackles lack pop and allow for yards after contact. He’s guilty of dropping several potential interceptions. There are concerns about Clark’s arm length meeting NFL thresholds.
Grade:
4th Round
Background:
Clark was a two-star recruit from Manchester High School in Midlothian, Va. in the class of 2019. He didn’t receive a star ranking or national ranking from 247Sports, On3.com, or ESPN. Clark was an unranked two-star recruit for Rivals. As a high school senior, he totaled 26 tackles, 575 punt return yards (28.6 yards per return), and 126 kick return yards. Clark helped Manchester High School capture a VHSL 6A state title as a senior. He earned Second-Team All-State honors as a defensive back and First-Team All-State honors as a punt returner. MaxPreps also credits Clark with 23 receptions for 429 yards and seven touchdowns during his senior year. The Virginia native ended his high school career with eight interceptions. Clark transferred from Liberty to Louisville before the 2020 season. He earned Second-Team All-ACC honors in 2020 and 2021. Unfortunately, Clark tore his ACL late last season. He was born on March 19, 2001.
