NFL Draft Profile: Damone Clark, Linebacker, LSU Tigers

NFL draft profile scouting report for LSU linebacker, Damone Clark

The NFL Draft Bible | Jan 17, 2022

NFL Draft Profile: Damone Clark, Linebacker, LSU Tigers /

#18
Pos: LB
Ht: 6024
Wt: 239
Hand: 0968
Arm: 3300
Wing: 7818
40: 4.57
Bench: N/A
3-Cone: 7.12
Shuttle: N/A
Vert: 36.5
Broad: 1007
DOB: 6/28/00
Eligible: 2022
Baton Rouge, LA
Southern Lab High School

Damone Clark
LSU Tigers

One-Liners

Linebacker with great size and good speed who is slow processing and lacks instincts.

Pros:

Inside linebacker with great size. Clark possesses good speed in a straight line, allowing him to get sideline to sideline and carry tight ends up the seam. He defends runs from the backside well, displaying the patience to remain gap sound and athleticism in pursuit. Clark always has his hands ready to take on contact and uses his length to extend and prevent linemen from latching. As a tackler, he possesses the strength to bring down bigger ball carriers. His depth of drops in coverage is above average, gaining sufficient depth in coverage. Due to his size, quarterbacks have a hard time layering the ball over him.

Cons:

A cautious linebacker, Clark is slow playing downhill, not trusting his eyes and double checking himself before triggering. In coverage, he is often a step late and fails to make plays on the football coming downhill. He is slow to recognize screens and bites hard on play action. Below average twitch prevents him from changing directions quickly, allowing quick ball carriers to make him miss. Clark is a below average tackler, failing to wrap up and coming in high or diving at ankles on other occasions. His block shedding is average, being late despite his length. Lacking violence prevents him from beating smaller blockers and being a threat on the blitz. Clark covers grass and loses track of routes developing behind him. He allows separation when manned up with quick route runners.

Summary:

Linebacker with great size and good speed. Clark possesses the length and strength required to stack blocks very consistently. Slow processing prevents him from being a playmaker as he is often a step late. Clark projects as a developmental linebacker who has the physical traits to be a starter in the future. He will be a quality special teamer thanks to his speed.

Background:

Damone Clark attended Southern University Lab School in Louisiana where he won two state titles. After high school, 247Sports ranked him as a 4-Star recruit, the 357th-best recruit nationally, the 20th-ranked inside linebacker recruit in the country and the 13th recruit in the state of Louisiana.

Clark committed to LSU and as a true freshman in 2018 he appeared in 12 games as a backup, mainly playing special teams and learning behind eventual first round pick Devin White. In 2019, he played in 15 games, started three and finished with 50 tackles, four tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. In 2020, he appeared in 10 games, started five and tied for the team lead in tackles with 60 while adding four tackles for loss and one sack. In 2021, he started all 12 games and finished first in the SEC and second in the nation in both tackles (135) and tackles per game (11.2). Clark also added 15.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, four pass break-ups and one interception. For his efforts, Clark was a finalist for the Butkus Award, named second team All-SEC and wore the coveted No. 18 jersey for LSU in 2020 and 2021.

Wearing the No. 18 jersey is a long standing tradition at LSU and former head coach Ed Orgeron spoke about what exactly it means for Clark to don it, "The number 18 is about the character of what you do on and off the field, sort of like the perfect player. Not necessarily is the best player, and we gave him the number 18 because of academics, his leadership, his work in the weight room, the way he handles himself and then to be a great player on top of it just adds to the number." Clark has a clear motivation that has driven his success and habits, his daughter, Dakota. “My one year old daughter is my biggest motivation. I could have walked away last year, and I thought who would have taken care of her. She is my biggest motivator.” Furthermore, Clark’s teammates have noticed Clark’s development and praise his work ethic, “He's grown so much. He'd come in here on a Saturday and Sunday. He's always working. I don't think he leaves the building. He didn't have the season he wanted last year and he's really stepped it up [this season].”