UCLA defensive tackle Kenny Clark has elected to forgo his senior year of eligibility and is declaring for the 2016 NFL Draft.
The 20-year-old Clark made the announcement via his Twitter account on Monday:
— Kenny Clark (@KCBoutThatLife) December 28, 2015
Clark played three seasons for the Bruins, registering 6.5 sacks and 159 total tackles over that span. He was named a Third-team All-American in 2015 while also being selected to the First-team All-Pac-12. Clark was selected to the Second-team All-Pac-12 in 2014 as well.
The 6-foot-3, 310-pound lineman helped form the backbone of the Bruins defense last season and will now join teammate Myles Jack, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in September, in entering the draft early.
A talented, explosive, and physical presence in the middle, Clark could easily find himself selected in the first or second round next April.
As for the Bruins, Clark was one of the lone bright spots for a rushing defense that ranked fifth-worst in the Pac-12 this past season, especially once fellow front seven members Jack and Eddie Vanderdoes were lost for the year. Head coach Jim Mora even candidly admitted after the team’s disappointing bowl game loss to Nebraska on Saturday that “we need to get bigger, obviously. We need to get stronger, obviously.” Now, the losses of both Clark and Jack to the NFL may greatly accelerate that process as the team moves into recruiting season for 2016 and beyond.
