Drafted by Cowboys 5th Round - Pick 176 - LB Damone Clark (LSU)

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xwalker

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I would take a flyer on Clark.

LSU linebackers coach Blake Baker, left, speaks with linebacker Damone Clark (18) during the second half of the Tigers' 27-14 win over the Warhawks, Saturday, November 20, 2021, at Tiger Stadium.

The day Damone Clark underwent the surgery that lowered his draft stock, former LSU linebackers coach Blake Baker spoke to him over the phone. Clark still felt the waning effects of anesthesia and tried to brush off what he had gone through.

“ ‘I'm not in any pain,’ ” Baker recalled Clark saying. “ ‘I'm going to be back soon.’ ”

Clark and Baker talked again the next day, as they have multiple times a week ever since they became close during their only season together. By then, the medicine had worn off. Clark recognized what he faced again.


“ ‘This is for real,’ ” Baker recalled Clark saying.

Clark stayed as positive as he could over the next month, but it was sometimes hard not to think about how spinal fusion surgery for a herniated disk in late March affected his future.

After struggling at times in his first year as a starter, Clark had turned himself into one of the top linebackers in college football last season. He led the Southeastern Conference with 137 tackles. Every evaluator Baker talked to thought Clark would be a top-40 pick in the NFL draft this weekend.


Another LSU player selected as Tyrion Davis-Price goes No. 93 overall in NFL draft

Instead, Clark was still available Friday night after the end of the third round. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, he was considered a second-day pick before an MRI at the NFL scouting combine.

“He's been positive,” Baker said, “but I do think the realization of everything this weekend will probably hit him a little bit differently.”

The test results shocked Clark and his family. He never had an injury issue at LSU, never complained to his parents about something like that. He started every regular-season game last season before opting out of the Texas Bowl to train for the draft in California.

Once a second opinion recommended surgery, Clark decided to have the operation. His parents, Damon and Katice, flew to California. During one conversation before the procedure, Clark’s father remembered the surgeon saying, “He'll be playing ball at the end of this year, promise you.”

They high-fived.

“It wasn't as bad as we thought,” said Clark’s father, Damon.


LSU cornerback Cordale Flott selected No. 81 overall in the NFL draft

As Clark recovered from what his father called a “successful” surgery, he returned to Louisiana with his parents. He wore a protective brace around his neck for a few weeks, a precautionary measure to make sure no one slapped him too hard on the back in public.

Clark has since started physical therapy. He works out at LSU. He can drive and pick up his daughter, Dakotah, again. Full recovery will take time — he may miss his rookie year — but he expects to play football.

“He's determined to prove himself,” Clark’s father said. “He wants to practice. He wants to pick weights up.”

The hardest part has been realizing he wouldn’t go in the first or second round after working as hard as he did over the last year. Clark says all the right things. He doesn’t get too down. But he knows he has enough talent and made enough tackles to go early in the draft.

The surgery pushed him back into uncertainty. He didn’t want to watch the first round Thursday night.


LSU offensive guard Ed Ingram picked No. 59 overall in NFL draft by Minnesota Vikings

“It took a lot of momentum from him,” Clark’s father said.

Someone is still bound to take a chance on Clark. The emotional leader of LSU’s team and a recipient of No. 18 last season, he made open-field tackles, pressured quarterbacks on blitzes, shed blockers and improved as a pass defender. His father said Clark spoke with at least 11 teams.

“Everything clicked with him,” draft analyst and WWL-AM host Mike Detillier said. “You saw his physicality, his speed, his athleticism. Everything worked.”

Anticipating something, Clark’s family and friends gathered to watch the second and third days of the draft together. He franticly called his mom this week asking what he should wear. She told him to relax, but he just wants to know where he’ll end up.

Clark had to wait longer than he anticipated a few months ago. But he believes he will hear his name.

"He'll be the steal of the draft," Baker said. "I really believe that."
 

beware_d-ware

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He's had a super scary injury, but just on tape, I thought he was better than LB1 Quay Walker.

Most of these guys won't even be on the roster in 2 years anyway. If there's a 90% chance that Clark's off the roster in 2 years, and a 10% chance he hits and reaches his potential, the expected value is still way higher than your average 5th round comp pick.
 

marchetta

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https://www.thehuddlereport.com/blog/?p=2375

Damone Clark LB LSU

by Drew Boylhart • March 1, 2022

STRENGTHS
Damone is a long-armed, long-legged linebacker with the size and athletic talent teams are looking for in this modern NFL. He shows good speed to run players down and the ability to be used to attack the line of scrimmage in schemes that allow him to make plays and tackles behind the line of scrimmage. He is a sure tackler in open space. Damone shows some leadership skills and might have the ability in the future to become a coach on the field for the team that elects him.

CONCERNS
There is not much on film, of Damone being used in single coverage but his body type sends the signal that he could be. At the senior bowl, he did show athletic talent but he still will need time to develop those skills. He does struggle to process if there is too much happening in front of him and that makes him hesitate and take wrong angles to the play. At the college level, his athletic talent made it easy for him to recover but at the next level, unless he can process and find the ball quicker, he will struggle to be consistent. Damone also struggles to get off blocks and make the tackle. Damone doesn’t make plays, plays are manufactured for him to make. There’s a big difference.

BOTTOM LINE: 3.44
My guess is if he is an OLB in a 4/3 defense that he should be pretty good but use him in the middle or in a 4-2-5 defensive system and he will struggle. Do not mistake thinking the word “process” means that Damone is not smart. There is nothing wrong with his intelligence. It just means if he sees too much in front of him he will struggle to analyze it and think quick enough to react. That’s why I’m suggesting that if he plays on the outside he will see less and have less to process. This will allow for his athleticism to work for him better. Put him on the whiteboard and there is no problem, so intelligence has nothing to do with how quickly a person can process. For the purposes of this draft, I think Damone will be a good player for the team that selects him but he is limited to a certain position in a certain style of defense and for me, that affects his draft status and talent level.
 

DallasEast

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https://www.nfl.com/prospects/damone-clark/3200434c-4123-9010-bfbd-6f575fb561ea

Overview

Long, well-built inside linebacker packed into an athletic frame. Athleticism, toughness and tackling talent helped Clark piled up production in 2021 despite a lack of game-to-game consistency. Play recognition and instincts are erratic and could continue to be, but his game against Alabama should be weighed more heavily in his favor, as it shows what he's capable of against bigger, better opponents. Clark profiles as an early backup and special teams performer with projectable upside in the middle. However, the spinal fusion surgery he underwent in March is likely to sideline him for the 2022 season and could cause him to drop lower than his tools warrant on draft day.
Strengths
  • Exceptional football character.
  • Benefitted from playing alongside Devin White and Patrick Queen.
  • Brings a consistent physicality to the field.
  • Maintains separation from blockers.
  • Able to fit in firmly and stop short-yardage carries.
  • Instincts and recognition showed in-season development.
  • Played exceptional football in loss to Alabama.
  • Crashes down like a wave on ball-carriers.
  • Plays with reactive agility to shine as open-field tackler.
Weaknesses
  • Has issues reading play-fakes and mesh-point action.
  • Misdirected by false keys.
  • Pursuit speed is more build-up than burst-based.
  • Needs to challenge and stack blocks to squeeze the gap.
  • Route recognition and challenge from zone is average.
  • Likely to miss 2022 season after undergoing spinal fusion surgery to repair a herniated disk in March.
 

freemanjc19

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The Good News is he is expected to make a full recovery! Probably won't see him until next year!
 
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baltcowboy

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I would take a flyer on Clark.

LSU linebackers coach Blake Baker, left, speaks with linebacker Damone Clark (18) during the second half of the Tigers' 27-14 win over the Warhawks, Saturday, November 20, 2021, at Tiger Stadium.

The day Damone Clark underwent the surgery that lowered his draft stock, former LSU linebackers coach Blake Baker spoke to him over the phone. Clark still felt the waning effects of anesthesia and tried to brush off what he had gone through.

“ ‘I'm not in any pain,’ ” Baker recalled Clark saying. “ ‘I'm going to be back soon.’ ”

Clark and Baker talked again the next day, as they have multiple times a week ever since they became close during their only season together. By then, the medicine had worn off. Clark recognized what he faced again.


“ ‘This is for real,’ ” Baker recalled Clark saying.

Clark stayed as positive as he could over the next month, but it was sometimes hard not to think about how spinal fusion surgery for a herniated disk in late March affected his future.

After struggling at times in his first year as a starter, Clark had turned himself into one of the top linebackers in college football last season. He led the Southeastern Conference with 137 tackles. Every evaluator Baker talked to thought Clark would be a top-40 pick in the NFL draft this weekend.


Another LSU player selected as Tyrion Davis-Price goes No. 93 overall in NFL draft

Instead, Clark was still available Friday night after the end of the third round. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, he was considered a second-day pick before an MRI at the NFL scouting combine.

“He's been positive,” Baker said, “but I do think the realization of everything this weekend will probably hit him a little bit differently.”

The test results shocked Clark and his family. He never had an injury issue at LSU, never complained to his parents about something like that. He started every regular-season game last season before opting out of the Texas Bowl to train for the draft in California.

Once a second opinion recommended surgery, Clark decided to have the operation. His parents, Damon and Katice, flew to California. During one conversation before the procedure, Clark’s father remembered the surgeon saying, “He'll be playing ball at the end of this year, promise you.”

They high-fived.

“It wasn't as bad as we thought,” said Clark’s father, Damon.


LSU cornerback Cordale Flott selected No. 81 overall in the NFL draft

As Clark recovered from what his father called a “successful” surgery, he returned to Louisiana with his parents. He wore a protective brace around his neck for a few weeks, a precautionary measure to make sure no one slapped him too hard on the back in public.

Clark has since started physical therapy. He works out at LSU. He can drive and pick up his daughter, Dakotah, again. Full recovery will take time — he may miss his rookie year — but he expects to play football.

“He's determined to prove himself,” Clark’s father said. “He wants to practice. He wants to pick weights up.”

The hardest part has been realizing he wouldn’t go in the first or second round after working as hard as he did over the last year. Clark says all the right things. He doesn’t get too down. But he knows he has enough talent and made enough tackles to go early in the draft.

The surgery pushed him back into uncertainty. He didn’t want to watch the first round Thursday night.


LSU offensive guard Ed Ingram picked No. 59 overall in NFL draft by Minnesota Vikings

“It took a lot of momentum from him,” Clark’s father said.

Someone is still bound to take a chance on Clark. The emotional leader of LSU’s team and a recipient of No. 18 last season, he made open-field tackles, pressured quarterbacks on blitzes, shed blockers and improved as a pass defender. His father said Clark spoke with at least 11 teams.

“Everything clicked with him,” draft analyst and WWL-AM host Mike Detillier said. “You saw his physicality, his speed, his athleticism. Everything worked.”

Anticipating something, Clark’s family and friends gathered to watch the second and third days of the draft together. He franticly called his mom this week asking what he should wear. She told him to relax, but he just wants to know where he’ll end up.

Clark had to wait longer than he anticipated a few months ago. But he believes he will hear his name.

"He'll be the steal of the draft," Baker said. "I really believe that."
Might be the best Cowboys pick of the draft. Not just because he is a good linebacker but because in a year Micah might become a full time pass rusher.
 

Creeper

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So he sits out 2022, LVE is on a 1 year deal. He will be ready to play just in time for Dallas to let LVE go via free agency. Even if LVE has a great year, then he becomes to expensive to keep. I am fine with this pick, 1 of 4 in the 5th round.
 
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