Packers Profile: Michael Clark

A profile on Packers wide receiver Michael Clark.

The Tape

Position:  Wide Receiver

Age:  22

Height:  6’ 6”

Weight:  217 lbs.

40-yard dash:  4.53 seconds

3-cone drill:  7.54 seconds

Vertical Jump:  33”

Broad Jump:  10’6”

The Roots

The story of Michael Clark and his journey to the NFL is not a traditional one by any means.  After being born in Massachusetts, his family relocated to St. Petersburg, Florida when he was in elementary school.  Throughout his high school career, Clark transferred to three different schools where he was a basketball standout at each, beginning with his freshman year.  Clark also played AAU basketball during his youth and prep days with the sport being his main focus.  During his prep days, the only experience that Clark had playing football was during his freshman year. 

Following high school, Clark took his basketball talents up the east coast to Pennsylvania, where he joined the Division I St. Francis University Red Flash basketball program on scholarship.  As he entered the Red Flash program, Clark saw playing time as a freshman and a budding college basketball career would all but seem to be starting for the young athlete.

But, around the time he was a freshman in college, Clark began having other career dreams.  Dreams that would lead him back to the sport that he hadn’t played since he was a freshman in high school.  Maybe he knew his size and athleticism were special enough to one day land him on an NFL roster.  Or, maybe it was just a dream of one day playing in the NFL.   But, Clark did the unthinkable after his freshman year at St. Francis and transferred to Marshall University in nearby West Virginia to join the football program.  Part of the motivation for Clark to join the Thundering Herd program in Huntington was to reconnect with his former AAU basketball teammate Chase Litton, a quarterback for the team.

After his transfer, Clark had to spend the 2015 season as a redshirt in the Thundering Herd program.  During his redshirt year, Clark worked diligently to reacquaint himself back into the sport of football.  He participated on the scout team offense and worked hard to learn the nuances of the sport at the college level.

In 2016, Clark joined the Thundering Herd team and for the season, he would acquire 37 receptions for 632 years and four touchdowns. Clark provided a big target for his Marshall quarterback and while not putting up the highest numbers on the team for the 2016 season, he decided to forgo another year of playing with the Thundering Herd and he entered the 2017 NFL draft.  With Packers scouts present, Clark participated in Marshall’s pro day and caught the eyes of several scouts due to his sheer size and athleticism.

A long TD reception for the Thundering Herd

A long TD reception for the Thundering Herd

The Rookie Campaign

As the 2017 NFL Draft came and went, Michael Clark was not one of the 253 players selected.  On May 5, 2017, the Packers took a chance on him by signing him as an undrafted free agent.  Coming out of Marshall and to the Packers, saying Clark was a raw talent is an understatement.  He was the equivalent of a fine sushi, raw as can be and only suited for the tastes of some folks.   Possessing all of the physical tools that a team could want in a wide receiver but lacking the football experience and knowledge from his years dedicated to the basketball court, the sky was the limit for the young receiver.  He was a project that some fans cringe at and other fans welcome with open arms.

As training camp began, Clark struggled with the mental transition to professional football, which was to be expected.  He is quoted as saying about the playbook, “It was foreign.  Just words, all that stuff blew past me.  I couldn’t keep up in meetings.”  Not the words that any coach or player wants to hear out of their teammate.  After the steep learning curve of the playbook, Clark started to shine with his playmaking abilities in camp, most notably in making several red zone receptions from Aaron Rodgers. 

After appearing in three preseason games with four receptions for 34 yards and one touchdown, Clark didn’t make the final 53-man roster for the Packers.  As final cuts were released, I held my breath in hopes that no other teams would see the potential that was there in Clark and luckily, he cleared waivers and was brought immediately back in by the Packers to join their practice squad.

As the season progressed in 2017, Clark stayed on the Packers practice squad, honing his craft at wide receiver.  Then, on December 1, 2017, he was activated to the 53-man roster to give him a look as the season winded down.  Clark was inactive for the first few games and finally got to see action the final two games of the year against the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions.  In those final two games, Clark received quite a few looks from Brett Hundley, but only amassed four receptions for 42 yards in those games.  There were a few contested balls that Clark should’ve come down with in those games and it definitely appeared as if the coaching staff was trying to give him a solid look in regular season action.

Clark with a regular season finale reception against the Lions

Clark with a regular season finale reception against the Lions

The Future

What the future holds for Michael Clark with the Green Bay Packers remains to be seen.  Towering at 6’ 6” tall with some speed, he has all the tools that a quarterback could want in a wide receiver, especially as a red zone threat.  It is a shame that we as fans didn’t get to see him work with Aaron Rodgers at the end of the regular season, but time is on the side of Clark to potentially develop a rapport with the star quarterback.

Some draft prospect beatniks thought a team may take a flyer on Clark to bulk him up and give him a try at tight end.  At only 217 pounds, that may be a bit of a stretch for a man of his height to attempt to block a defensive end or outside linebacker.  His athleticism and frame scream stud receiver. 

Moving forward, wide receivers coach Jim Hostler will have a great development project on his hands heading into the 2018 camp.  The obvious need of Clark is to learn the mental side of the game and coaching will be of utmost importance in that learning process.  If Clark can wrap his head around the game played at the highest level, his physical skills and abilities can then take over and the sky is ultimately the limit for the young wide receiver.

________________________

Ryan Brunner is an avid Packers fan hailing from Chippewa Falls, WI.  He is a firm believer that punters are NFL players too!  Follow him on Twitter @brunwardo

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Comments (16)

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John Kirk's picture

February 02, 2018 at 01:39 pm

The pic of him skying over Gunter inside the Hutson Center is one of the most impressive sports photographs I've ever seen.

His 3 cone time has to be a typo, but it's not. 7 54? The only WR close to being worse at the combine was Ricky Seals Jones who played TE for Arizona and he was in the mid 7.4 range. Next worse was high 7.2. For a former basketball player his athleticism doesn't jump off the page with this time and 33" vertical.

I love guys like Clark. Cinderella stories. He has height going for him. Pretty amazing this guy had more catches than Janis in 2017. He doubled the people's champion 4-2. In year 1 for a project that ain't bad. Hope he's able to elevate his game for 12 and is able to find some niche relevance.

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worztik's picture

February 02, 2018 at 01:52 pm

I’m glad he’s on our roster!!! He seems like a humble and soft spoken dude with all the tangibles!!! I hope he can stick around cause he’d be a nightmare to cover!!!

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Packer_Fan's picture

February 02, 2018 at 04:03 pm

I think Clark has a long way to go regarding catching contested balls. Some of those catches he appeared to struggle even getting his arms out to catch the pass. It is a learned ability. Until he learns that he will struggle.

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Tundraboy's picture

February 02, 2018 at 07:00 pm

With that height and being any kind of Basketball player, and not a stiff, catching a ball in any position should not be an issue. He certainly has that WR build and looked like a deep threat type of receiver. Whether he follows Janis route (pun intended) or not is the question. He could be a star in this offense. We shall see.

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dblbogey's picture

February 02, 2018 at 05:16 pm

I've seen lots of raw physical specimens come through Green Bay bringing much excitement. None of them ever panned out.

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Bearmeat's picture

February 03, 2018 at 08:54 am

Umm..... Sam Shields? Donald Driver? Mark Taushcher? I mean, there are many examples of low draft picks and UDFAs who have blossomed. True, most don't, and I'm not sure Clark will. The odds are against it. But you always take a look-see. And every once in awhile...

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

February 03, 2018 at 10:42 am

Mark Tauscher - the worst body ever seen in GB? Made me laugh, but I agree that many of the physical specimens did develop. Really though, every team brings in H/W/S flyers in the late rounds and UDFA, many of whom are physical specimens with a low chance of making it in the NFL.

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OrganLeroy's picture

February 03, 2018 at 03:41 pm

Tauscher's nickname was 'The Pillsbury Doughboy'.

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Ryan Graham's picture

February 02, 2018 at 05:21 pm

I am really interested to see what he gets into during te offseason. If he's putting in serious time training mentally and physically he can turn into a bright spot. It's clear he's got the tools, can he translate that on the field when it counts. I have hope he does build with Rodgers because if he earns his trust look out.

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Coldworld's picture

February 02, 2018 at 05:53 pm

But what kind of WR does he project to. Not a burner, so another, larger, slot?

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Dzehren's picture

February 02, 2018 at 07:04 pm

Possession receiver and red zone target

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Tundraboy's picture

February 02, 2018 at 07:59 pm

Doesn't have to be a burner if he knows where he's supposed to be and connects with Rodgers. Looked plenty fast to me in that one cameo.

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Lphill's picture

February 03, 2018 at 08:09 am

He may have the athleticism and size but maybe just not smart enough but I would try to coach him up before giving up on him .

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Rossonero's picture

February 03, 2018 at 09:31 am

If he doesn't pan out at WR, then why not try him out at TE?

There are plenty of TEs who basically are WRs anyway. Besides, aside from Jermichael Finley in 2008, we've proven that we can't draft one.

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OrganLeroy's picture

February 03, 2018 at 03:44 pm

Any talk of Clarke moving to TE is ridiculous..you realize he'd have to add 25-30 lbs.? It would be a2-3 year transition which is a waste of time and talent, he's a WR, period.

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Rossonero's picture

February 03, 2018 at 09:01 pm

2-3 years to learn a new position? You're underestimating Mr. Clark quite a bit. Yes, he'd have to gain weight, but that can be done in one off-season. He has too much natural ability to give up on him just at one position.

You do realize that Marshall Faulk had nearly every college program tell him that he could only play cornerback, right? He refused and said he wanted to play RB. At one point, the Rams told Jerome Bettis he was too fat to play RB and that he was a FB. He said no, wanted to play RB and went to the Steelers. The rest is history. Don't pigeon hole players into one position, it's like seeing the world through a straw.

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