Safety Chuck Clark Drafted by the Baltimore Ravens

Safety Chuck Clark was the first player from Virginia Tech off the board in the 2017 NFL Draft

If you had Chuck Clark as the first member of the Virginia Tech Hokies selected in your 2017 NFL Draft pool, congratulations. What an upset.

Former Virginia Tech safety Chuck Clark was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round on Saturday afternoon, as the 186th pick overall.

For Clark, it is undoubtedly the cherry on top, as he capped off a successful four years in Blacksburg by unexpectedly becoming the first player from the Hokies selected in this year’s NFL Draft. Clark was projected to go anywhere from the fifth to seventh rounds in most mocks leading up to this weekend’s draft.

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With Clark, the Ravens are getting a versatile player who can play multiple positions all over the secondary. In the past he has played corner, lined up against receivers in the slot as a nickel, and has displayed his strengths at his best position, free safety.

Clark is physical at the point of attack, and a sure-fire tackler. His strengths have always been apparent in run defense, while he has been a work-in-progress in coverage against the pass. Clark only pulled in two interceptions in 52 career games.

With the Ravens, Clark will likely figure into the mix on special teams primarily in the early portion of his career, but he can absolutely play himself into the conversation in the secondary, which Baltimore has been looking to upgrade over the last couple of seasons.

As a hard-nosed football player with good upside, Clark should be a name to watch with the Ravens for years to come.

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