Bud Clark was a centerfielder in baseball, which is how he roams the football field. His player comparison, per NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein, is Kerby Joseph. He likes takeaways and talking trash. When the ball's in the air, "it's either my ball," said Clark, "or nobody's ball."
The Lions, harsh as it sounds, might be moving on from Joseph after this year. They might already be searching for his successor in the draft. An All-Pro in 2024 who led the NFL in picks, Joseph is dealing with a chronic knee injury that cost him most of last season and threatens to cut short his career. If the Lions are forced to get out of his four-year, $86 million extension that kicks in this season, it will have to happen in the forthcoming league year before the dead cap hits become prohibitive.
And with fellow star Brian Branch coming off a torn Achilles as he enters his contract season, the Lions need immediate injury insurance at safety at the very least.
All to say, the position has gone from a long-term strength to a rather pressing need for Detroit in the blink of an NFL eye.
The Lions had a formal meeting at the combine with Clark, a spunky, twitchy safety who had 15 interceptions over the last four seasons at TCU. He's built a little more like a corner, but "I'm doing the same thing any big safety’s doing," said Clark, who's listed at 6'1, 185. "210, 215, whatever a (different) safety is doing, I’m doing it at my size."
Clark said his meeting with the Lions was "amazing, actually. I feel like they liked me a lot." You can imagine them asking him about his tackling, and you can imagine Clark telling them, as he told reporters Thursday, "I love it. I don’t care how big you are, how small you are, I’m gonna get you on the ground."
"Anything they need me to do, I’ll do it ... I’m versatile. I can play anywhere, and I’m willing to learn," he said.
Clark played all over the secondary for TCU, from the box, to the slot to the deep part of the field. In that sense, he's closer to Branch than Joseph. He talks like Amik Robertson, "with a chip on my shoulder" and an urge to "show that I can compete with anybody." Clark says his edge comes from his mom, who "raised me every morning, like, 'compete, compete, compete.'"
"So that’s all I did," he said, "all my life."
On the field, it's all he does. Like any good defensive back, Clark knows that plays will occasionally go against him. He knows just as well that "I gotta have that grit," he said, "that resilience. If I do get caught on something, I have to come back. You have (to play) me for 60 minutes, so you gotta keep beating me, and I feel like no one in this game can."
"My momma raised me a born killer," said Clark.
His mom played basketball and softball and "talks a little trash, too," he said with a grin. "I get it from her." For Clark, trash-talking is a tool "to understand who you are as a person, just see if you get riled up or not. I like when people get riled up. It shows a lot about your character." His favorite player growing up was fellow Louisiana native Tyrann Mathieu, the Honey Badger.
Asked what he'd like as a nickname, Clark exclaimed, "The Wolverine or something like that!" Even that felt like a subtle troll. The most famous play of Clark's college career came at the expense of the Wolverines, a pick-six in TCU's 51-45 win over Michigan in the 2022 CFP national semifinal.
His favorite play came last season in a win over Colorado when he mirrored a receiver running across the line of scrimmage, dared the quarterback to throw over him to another receiver in a soft spot of the defense, then snared the pass out of the air.
"I plugged into a seam and picked it. I baited him, jumped up and grabbed the ball," said Clark.
Only one safety in the country had a higher a PFF grade over the past two seasons than Clark: Caleb Downs, the top safety in this year's draft. Clark, whose stock is on the rise after he shined at the Senior Bowl, is projected as a Day 3 pick with the potential to climb into Day 2. The Lions are lurking.
A.J. Haulcy, LSU
Haulcy is a rare breed at safety, and wants you to know it: "Earl Thomas and Ed Reed, I feel like you put those two together, you get me." Well then. He has a muscular frame and a veteran feel for the game, "a blend of ballhawk and enforcer who can scurry into passing lanes for takeaways or run through a receiver to break up a pass," per Zierlein.
Known as Mr. Give Me That after grabbing eight picks the last two seasons at LSU and Houston, Haulcy could be a menace at the next level. He says he has the mind of Reed and the physicality and ball skills of Thomas, just a pair of all-time greats.
"I watched clips of Ed Reed breaking down some film, and the way he tries to disguise himself into making plays, I feel like I steal that part of Ed Reed’s game. And then Earl Thomas, the way he comes down and hits and tackles, and he makes plays on the ball, too, I feel like putting those two together, that will make me," said Haulcy.
To Haulcy's credit, his favorite play from last season is evidence of what he's talking about, a pick in LSU's win over Florida where he read the eyes of the quarterback, recognized a slant over the middle and jumped it from the deep part of the field.
"That was the reason it was my best play, because I told myself, 'If I see this again, I’m triggering.' I saw it on film, so I triggered and made the play," he said.
There are questions about Haulcy's speed, but so there were about Branch in 2023. He fell into the second round, and the Lions are reaping the rewards. Like Branch, Haulcy appears to have the instincts and game speed to outplay any concerns. He's seen as a Day 2 pick.
Jalon Kilgore, South Carolina
"I’ve always been aggressive — ain’t no way you can’t be aggressive and play in an SEC defense."
Those are the words of Kilgore, another strong, physical defensive back who met with the Lions this week. He played mostly in the slot in college, which could make him a dangerous nickel in the NFL, like his former South Carolina teammate Nick Emmanwori who took the league by storm this season with the Seahawks. Think Kelvin Sheppard would like him?
Kilgore might be a little raw in coverage, but he snatched seven picks the last two seasons thanks to his speed, size and the receiver instincts he honed in high school. He's known as a "devastating hitter" in run support who "arrives at the ball carrier with bad intentions and rarely misses the target." To no surprise, Kilgore likes watching Branch.
"He’s been amazing. Just being aggressive and versatile, being able to cover, tackle, catch the ball at the highest point, just like myself. Would be amazing (to play with him), seeing another athlete out there ballin' just making plays," he said.
Kilgore's advice to opposing quarterbacks and coordinators? He smiled and said, "Don’t throw a 50-50 ball."