Cardinals Rookie Kei'Trel Clark Wins Rep vs Justin Jefferson, Hits Griddy

Arizona Cardinals rookie DB Kei'Trel Clark should be careful when hitting the griddy, especially against Justin Jefferson.

Arizona Cardinals DB Kei'Trel Clark is still adjusting to life in the NFL, though he's adjusting fairly well.

Clark was a Day 3 pick for the Cardinals, and he initially was projected as a slot corner due to his size. Clark wasn't expected to gain much playing time when he first landed in the desert, but things have changed quickly.

He's impressed in training camp and preseason after splitting first-team reps with Christian Matthew on the boundary. Arizona needs to settle on a starting corner opposite of Marco Wilson, and the Louisville product very much finds himself in position to take that job despite his inexperience. 

"I'm blessed enough to get drafted, I'm playing with the top one percent, (and) I'm the top one percent as well," said Clark last week. 

This week, he's not so humble.

The Cardinals traveled up to Minnesota for a pair of joint practices with the Vikings ahead of their clash on Saturday, which will mark the preseason finale for both teams. 

Clark - who looked strong in Arizona's preseason opener against the Denver Broncos - had a down week after playing the Kansas City Chiefs and is looking to bounce back.

He's never been afraid to show emotion after play - even if that's doing the griddy against the league's best receiver in Justin Jefferson. 

You can hear the audible gasps and remarks from those in attendance in the video:

Ummmm #Cardinals Kei’Trel Clark just did this after defending Justin Jefferson 1 on 1….

I wouldn’t poke the bear! #skol pic.twitter.com/Io0GixlWq6

— Leighton Glodek (@LGlodek) August 23, 2023

To Clark's credit, he did a good job of establishing inside leverage against Jefferson and was physical as he worked his way back, something that's required to slow down a receiver of Jefferson's talent. 

He also played the ball nicely to break up the pass - so far beyond an NFL corner (who will wave his finger after a ball sails 20 yards out of bounds) to celebrate a one-on-one win against Jefferson.

However, like Glodek's tweet suggests, perhaps poking the bear isn't the best idea.

We'll see what Jefferson has in store for Clark tomorrow as the team's wrap up their two-practice stint together. The Cardinals will have a walk-thru Friday before playing on Saturday at 10:00 AM Arizona time.