On April 23, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Seattle Seahawks made a deal to send star defensive end Frank Clark to the Chiefs for picks. What does Frank Clark bring to this team, and is he the missing piece to a championship?
After trading Dee Ford, the Chiefs had a major problem on their roster; a number two pass rusher. Chris Jones was still around, but they didn’t have anyone else you could feel good about. After generating 52 sacks last year, how could they get close this year? GM Brett Veach agreed, and decided to acquire Frank Clark, star pass rusher from Seattle. The Chiefs sent a 1st and future 2nd round picks, plus moved up a few spots in the 3rd.
Clark, a four year pass rusher out of Michigan, signed a five-year, 105 million dollar deal with the Chiefs. Clark had his most productive season in 2018, with 13 sacks and 27 QB hits. Every year, Clark has improved on his game, with three straight seasons of nine sacks or more. So what elements to the roster does Clark bring? And is he the missing piece to a Super Bowl berth for Kansas City?
Scouting Report
Frank Clark is a monster. At 6-foot-3, and 273 pounds, Clark is an explosive player. With an electric first step, Clark can win with many different moves. Clark wins with speed, power, and using an array of pass rush moves. He uses his hands at a high level, and has an amazing motor.
Clark’s best move is his bull rush. When Clark has a good get off, it is almost a guarantee that he can win with power. His strength and balance are a huge issues for tackles, who can’t match that strength. Clark has ridiculous upper body strength, and he uses it to his advantage.
Clark is also very good against the run. He has great lateral agility, which allows him to chase running backs from behind and stop the run. He also sets the edge on runs at an elite level, and you can’t run at his side. Clark often requires double teams on running downs. He has great play recognition as well, which allows him to read plays before they even happen.
The Numbers
So when this trade went down, I decided to dive into the film for Clark. As I do with all players, I watch and chart five games, and look for data. Some of the things I chart are where Clark lines up, and if he wins or loses. I chart run snaps and pass rush snaps differently. When looking over Clark’s data, it was staggering to see what he produced last season.
| Clark Run Snaps | ||||||||
| Game | Snaps Charted | Run D Win | Run D Loss | Run D Neutral | Stuff | Double Team | Run Win % | Run Loss % |
| Rams | 21 | 4 | 3 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 19.0% | 14.3% |
| Raiders | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 40.0% | 0.0% |
| Vikings | 14 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 35.7% | 7.1% |
| Packers | 11 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 9.1% |
| Cowboys | 16 | 6 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 37.5% | 6.3% |
| TOTAL | 67 | 17 | 6 | 44 | 9 | 6 | 25.4% | 9.0% |
Clark didn’t have a ton of run snaps in his five games, which I found interesting. Something I noticed was the fact that when Clark was resting and not on the field, teams ran the ball a lot. They decided to run at the smaller guys on the field. Seattle would rotate their defensive ends on first and second down, always bringing Clark in on third down.
Even so, Clark was still very good against the run. There were very few snaps where Clark got blocked and taken out of the play, as he is too strong to get pushed around. Teams don’t like running to his side, but he has impressive lateral agility, and chases the running back from behind. A 25.4% win rate is very good, for any player. Plus, his loss rate is under 10%, which is good. Clark didn’t have any bad games against the run.
Kansas City was awful against the run last year, so Clark’s assistance setting an edge and flowing to the ball which be much appreciated.
| Clark Pass Snaps | |||||||||||
| Game | Snaps Charted | Pass Rush Win | Pass Rush Loss | Pass Rush Neutral | Double Team | Pass Deflection | Drops into Coverage | Pressures | Pass Rush Win % | Pass Rush Loss % | Pressure Rate |
| Rams | 31 | 7 | 3 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 26.9% | 11.5% | 7.7% |
| Raiders | 23 | 8 | 2 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 34.8% | 8.7% | 26.1% |
| Vikings | 30 | 9 | 2 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 33.3% | 7.4% | 18.5% |
| Packers | 31 | 8 | 4 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 30.8% | 15.4% | 15.4% |
| Cowboys | 24 | 7 | 4 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 30.4% | 17.4% | 13.0% |
| TOTAL | 139 | 39 | 15 | 71 | 25 | 0 | 14 | 20 | 31.2% | 12.0% | 16.0% |
Clark’s numbers are ridiculous. A 31.2% win rate rivals win rates at the top of the league. Those numbers would put you with any of the top players in the league. His loss rate is only 12% as well. For comparison, Breeland Speaks was 19.4%. Clark is a great pass rusher. He wins a high amount, while also not being inconsistent. Clark had to be double teamed a lot in his snaps, but it didn’t matter. Clark could pull off some move to get pressure.
Clark’s pressure rate was 16% in the games I charted. That is very good. Guys like Khalil Mack get around 20-25% pressure rate. Clark is near that class in pressures. Clark’s pressure rate wasn’t as consistent, but still high. He was especially good against the Raiders, feasting on Kolton Miller. Miller was abused all game, and Clark posted a ridiculous 26% win rate. With Kansas City playing Oakland twice a year, fans can get excited about Clark matched up against him.
The Film
Clark is a great run defender. Right here, the Rams are running a jet sweep, and the goal is to get wide. Clark recognizes the play immediately, swipes off the TE block, and kills the run instantly. pic.twitter.com/7yXJVBmLzy
— Nate Christensen (@natech32) May 19, 2019
Clark is an elite run defender, and here is a great example why. The Rams love running jet sweeps to their receivers, and here is one of them. Very early in the snap, Clark recognizes what the snap is. Clark sees the sweep, swipes off the block from the tight end, and blows up the run. Plays like these show the impact of Frank Clark. Clark can dominate every play, and wreck an entire game for teams. This drive ended in a field goal, and without this play, it might have been a touchdown.
This separates the good vs elite. 3rd and 4, matched up against an All-Pro Left Tackle, and he gets the strip. When we got Clark, I wondered how his speed rush is. His burst off the ball is ridiculous, and he has enough speed to bend. Does a great job swiping as well. Great play pic.twitter.com/u4NmEGK1gr
— Nate Christensen (@natech32) May 19, 2019
Frank Clark is an elite player. Even going up against one of the best tackles in the league, Andrew Whitworth. Rarely does anyone ever do well against Whitworth. Anyone except Frank Clark, of course. When Kansas City traded for Clark, I wondered how he good his speed rush was. I knew of Clark’s ridiculous power, but was his speed rush his weakness? That was not the case at all with Clark. His explosion and first step are nearly unparalleled, and while his long speed isn’t great, his immediate burst is crazy good.
Clark has given Tyron Smith so many problems this game. Smith can't contain his power well. Clark plays well against everyone, even a potential future HoF in Smith pic.twitter.com/tcWyUyEGr7
— Nate Christensen (@natech32) May 20, 2019
Clark was matched up against a potential Hall of Fame tackle, Tyron Smith. Smith had serious issues dealing with the power of Clark. This rush was a simple bull rush, but widely effective. He lowers his pad level to not allow Smith to get his hands on Clark, then drives on Smith. Smith can’t do anything but backpedal. Before Clark, Kansas City had a bunch of guys who couldn’t win consistently with their match-ups. Clark can match up against anyone, and best them as well. They get some good blows as well, but Clark is dominant a lot of the time.
Is he the missing piece?
When the trade for Clark was just announced, there was a lot of criticism from the media. Kansas City had just let go of Justin Houston and Dee Ford, just to wait a couple of months and acquire Frank Clark. Why would they get rid of two expensive pass rushers, just to pay another one? Was Frank Clark the last piece?
I had my doubts as well, but I don’t have anymore doubts. Clark is that good. You pair Frank Clark with Chris Jones, and those two can create havoc on quarterbacks all day. Teams will be scared trying to block these guys. Couple that with new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s blitz heavy scheme, and Kansas City will be one of the top teams in pressure again.
Clark isn’t perfect. His bend and long speed aren’t perfect. Still, his combination of power, football IQ, length, burst, and effort are some of the best qualities I have ever charted in my life. He is one of the best pass rushers in the league, who should be considered an All-Pro talent. He should only get better from here.
Yes Clark is very expensive. 105 million dollars for anyone is a hefty price. His play suggests he is worth it. Seattle didn’t want to get rid of this guy. The Colts and Jets were suitors. Teams around the league know the talent of Frank Clark. In the end, he is that missing piece. His ability to help in the run game, along with amazing pass rush skills, will transform this defense.
Nate Christensen covers the NFL and the Kansas City Chiefs for Fan Source. Follow him on Twitter @natech479.
