Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark makes his debut on NFL Top 100

On Monday night, NFL.com announced Kansas City Chiefs right tackle Mitchell Schwartz made its annual list of the top 100 players in the NFL.

We didn’t have to wait long for another Chiefs player to make the list. When numbers 81-90 were announced on Tuesday night, another Chiefs player made their debut on an NFL Top 100: new defensive end Frank Clark was listed 85th.

Clark broke out in 2018 after starting just 17 of 46 games in his first three seasons. He started all 16 games for Seattle, totaling career-highs with 13.0 sacks, three forced fumbles and two fumbles recovered. Clark helped carry the Seahawks back to the playoffs in 2018, tallying 24.6 percent of Seattle’s total pressures (fifth-highest of any defender in the NFL). The Chiefs are paying him huge money (five years, $105 million) after an offseason trade, and they are clearly expecting his production to continue to improve as he enters his age 26 season

Just as they did for Schwartz, NFL.com posted a highlight video for Clark.

A lot is riding on the defensive end. The big investment the Chiefs made in him was intended to not only replace some of the pass rushing production the team lost when they parted ways with Dee Ford and Justin Houston, but also to provide on-field leadership in a critical year for the Chiefs defense.

So far, we’ve liked what we’ve seen in that department.

“I feel like I bring a type of attitude and swagger with my play that I feel like every coach loves and I feel like my teammates will love,” Clark said when he joined the Chiefs. “I feel like it’s infectious. When you can play and make plays on the field, and then bring other players with you, I feel like that’s the key. I feel that’s when you become a great player. Not just about your individual stats, but when you can attribute and help in a whole other manner, which helps out players on your team, that’s when I feel like you’re doing your job.”

“I take full pride in being one of the best defenders and I take full pride in having he best defense in the league,” Clark said during Chiefs OTAs in May. “At the end of the day, I feel like those are the things we have to live up to. Those are the standards we have to continue to climb and continue to reach for. I feel like when you set your goals high, you obtain them.”