Though most of the conversation around former LSU players in the upcoming 2022 NFL draft has centered around likely first-round cornerback prospect Derek Stingley Jr.
However, he didn’t participate in drills at this week’s NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis as he’s still recovering from a Lisfranc fracture, and that allowed a different LSU prospect to steal the show: linebacker Damone Clark.
Clark entered the weekend as a likely mid-round pick, but after a strong showing in his drills, he could find himself off the board a bit earlier than that. According to 247Sports’ Brad Crawford, Clark is one of the players who boosted their stock at the combine this week.
Clark wasn’t mentioned among the elites at the position alongside Alabama’s Christian Harris and Utah’s Devin Lloyd among others, but LSU’s star tackler showed he is one of the SEC’s top players at the position with a strong showing. Clark caught everything thrown his way during individual interception drills and ranked in the top-tier of fellow linebackers across the board with a 4.57 time in the 40-yard dash, a 36.5-inch vertical and a 10-foot-7 broad jump. Essentially, Clark showed on the field what his film reveals — he’s a tenacious player who measures up athletically. It’s hard to imagine Clark dropping to Day 3 later this year.
There’s no denying Clark’s production. After totaling 43 tackles in 2019 and 63 in a shortened 2020 season, he absolutely exploded in his senior season in 2021. His 136 total tackles were the most in the SEC and second-most nationally. He also notched 5.5 sacks.
There are still questions about his draft profile, particularly when it comes to his play recognition and instincts, according to NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein. But with his performance at the combine, he showed that the talent and athleticism is there, even if he is still viewed as a bit of a project player.
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