Hudson Clark

Hudson Clark was a 4-year letterwinner at Highland Park High School in Dallas, Texas, winning 3 5A State Championships. He was 31-1 as a varsity starter, only losing his first start. He was All-State as a senior after contributing 40 tackles and 9 interceptions. He went to Arkansas as a walk-on. Clark did not play at all in 2019. In 2020, he played in 8 games and made 7 starts at cornerback for the Razorbacks, finishing 5th on the team in tackles with 47 and had 3 interceptions. In 2021, he played in 12 games, starting 4 and collecting 22 tackles and 1 pass breakup. According to Pro Football Focus, he played in 545 snaps with 392 on defense and 153 on special teams. In 2022, he set a career high in games (13), starts (10), and tackles (67) while seeing playing time and starting at multiple positions in the secondary and earned First Team All-SEC honors. He also had a team leading 11 pass breakups and 2 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries. In 2023, Clark started 12 games at safety and contributed 51 tackles and 1 interception. Hudson Clark is a former walk-on who has worked his way into being a draft prospect in 2024. He has incredible straight line speed and can make plays at all 3 levels. He is a capable run stopper who flashes a burst of acceleration when closing in on a ball carrier. He has the speed to stick with receivers on deep routes and has the ball skills to make a play on the ball. His versatility will be a big reason he gets some looks in the middle of the draft. He is able to play cornerback, nickelback and safety and play each position well. He has played over 200 snaps on special teams and his versatility on special teams will be another reason for him to be on NFL rosters in 2024. He is able to line up anywhere in the secondary and he feels comfortable in the box. On the downside, he is very lean and may struggle with the rigors of the NFL. He has questionable man-to-man skills because of his footwork, as he can be flat-footed at times. When in press coverage, if he does not get the initial hit on the receiver, he can lose coverage en route and end up chasing. He has good technique when he tackles but needs to get stronger overall. He loses some of the bigger backs who run through his attempts to bring them down. When in the box, he needs to do a better job of shedding blockers and spend less time engaged. Draft Nation sees Tony Adams as a good pro comparison for Hudson Clark. Adams was an undrafted safety from Illinois in 2022 who plays larger than his size. Adams has worked himself into a starting position in 2023 and has started 15 games in 2023 and has 82 tackles and 3 interceptions for the New York Jets. Hudson Clark could follow the same path and become a legit starter in the NFL.