Bud Clark
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TCU safety Bud Clark.
The Dallas Cowboys seem headed for a split with safety Malik Hooker after he underperformed in 2025.
Not just because he played terrible, but because doing so can create $6.9 million in salary cap space if he’s cut or traded this offseason.
Someone will, of course, need to replace Hooker if and when that goes down, and Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport predicts the Cowboys might stay local and use a mid-round pick on TCU safety Bud Clark — a “Dream Draft Target” for the Cowboys if he’s available in the 4th round, which Davenport anticipates he will be.
“There’s a clear priority for the Cowboys in 2026 — fixing a defense that ranked 30th in yards allowed and was the only team in the league that surrendered over 30 points per game last season,” Davenport wrote. “Safety Bud Clark played a lot of football at TCU and was quite the ballhawk, logging 15 career interceptions … The Cowboys need defenders who can play right away. Getting one early on Day 3 would be a gift.”
Clark Played 6 Seasons of College Football
In what’s kind of the opposite of the NBA, there’s a trend in the NFL of bringing in players who are a bit older — thanks to the pandemic — and played quite a bit more college football than we’ve ever seen.
Clark, 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, fits that mold. He began his college football career in 2020 and played 6 seasons, saving his best for last with consecutive All-Big 12 selections in 2024 and 2025. Perhaps the most amazing thing is he played all 6 seasons at the same school.
He also played arguably his greatest game on the biggest stage, leading TCU to a win over Michigan in the College Football Playoff semifinals following the 2022 season with an interception return for a touchdown off current Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy, as well as a fumble recovery.
The thing Clark did the best in his college career was be a ball hawk, as evidenced by his 15 interceptions — including 2 returned for touchdowns — as well as 21 pass deflections and a career-high 7 pass deflections as a senior in 2025.
Clark Compared to NFL All-Pro Safety
NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein compared Clark to $84 million NFL All-Pro safety Kerby Joseph in his pre-draft evaluation.
Joseph was a 3rd round pick (No. 97 overall) by the Detroit Lions in 2022. He led the NFL with 9 interceptions in 2024 and signed a 4-year, $86 million contract extension before the 2025 season.
“A sixth-year senior, Clark’s traits won’t pop but his tape most certainly will,” Zierlein wrote. “Clark is a coverage-versatile safety in a cornerback’s body with the talent to range over the top or man up on the slot. He plays with an overriding desire to do everything all at once – which produces spectacular takeaways and occasional breakdowns – but the good outweighs the bad. He triggers downhill in run support and tackles with proper technique, but a lack of size could lead to broken tackles/durability concerns. He might need time to acclimate to the speed/skill of his opponents but his instincts and ball skills give him a good chance to punish mistakes on the next level as an alignment-flexible option.”