Should Damone Clark Be Viewed As A Risky 2022 NFL Draft Prospect?
The 2022 NFL Draft will be remembered as a strong linebacker draft. Georgia has three of them. Alabama has its typical stud in the form of Christian Harris. Even the small school guys came to the party as Chad Muma and Troy Anderson. Hell… I haven’t even mentioned Brandon Smith or Devin Lloyd… OR Damone Clark.
Clark is a bit of a mystery coming out of LSU and now has an even bigger red flag next to his name. The LSU linebacker is expected to miss the entire 2022 NFL Season because of a spinal fusion surgery. Clark is expected to make a full recovery and return for 2023. Still, the question remains. How high do you draft a guy that can’t help your football team at all as a rookie?
Let’s start with the positives. There are a lot of reasons to like Clark. LSU has a strong history of producing high end linebackers. Can I interest anyone in Deion Jones, Devin White, or Patrick Queen?
Clark ranked 4th in the FBS in tackles (135 tackles – 15.5 for loss) and earned first team SEC honors as a senior. Clark also had a hell of a combine including his 4.57 – 40 time. That will do… Oh, and Clark was voted the top linebacker on his team at the 2022 Reese’s Senior Bowl where he obviously put together a hell of a week.
I am in on Clark as a player but it’s now tough to justify taking him in the second round or higher. I can’t put Clark ahead of any of the Georgia guys. However, given the depth of this linebacker group, Clark could become a serious value on Day 3 of the draft.
Any team that has extra 4th or 5th round picks should be interested in taking a gamble on Clark. This is a guy that has the ability to be a starter level player for any team. Given the fact that you can just put him on IR for the year takes care of any roster problem. He’s not taking up a space on your roster while being placed on IR. Drafting Clark is essentially beefing up your 2023 Draft instead. At some point, the price on Clark will be too low to pass.
Size, speed, and production are all checks for Clark. I’m not sure he’s White or Queen but Clark played with both of them and looked damn good doing it. You just feel like this guy is going to make it. I haven’t even mentioned his 36.5 inch vert which is really good for a linebacker. His combine was good in general.
Damone Clark could be a potential gold mine in the 2022 NFL Draft. An injury and a strong linebacker draft could push a stud way down the board. Teams with extra mid-round picks should absolutely take a shot on Clark. Even if it means getting nothing out of him as a rookie.
