Arizona Cardinals' rookie CB Kei'Trel Clark hopes strides continue vs. Kansas City Chiefs

If you’re a rookie for the Arizona Cardinals and you don’t happen to be a high draft pick, it doesn’t mean you don’t stand a ghost of a chance to not only make the team but play a pivotal role in coach Jonathan Gannon’s defense.

Of course, it helps if you played football at Gannon’s alma mater, the University of Louisville, and you also happened to play defensive back, his old position back in the day.

Actually, that’s not fair.

Gannon fell in love with cornerback Kei’Trel Clark, the team’s fifth-round pick from the Louisville Cardinals, as soon as he started watching tape on the shifty, playmaking 5-foot-10, 180-pound defender. Once Arizona drafted him and Clark asked if it was possible for him to miss the start of rookie mini-camp so he could graduate with his classmates, Gannon’s respect for the player deepened.

Since then, he’s taken Clark under his wing and has even called him “my baby.”

“That connection is special, and I appreciate him for calling me his baby,” Clark said. “That’s my guy for sure. A lot of head coaches, they don’t talk to their players like that, so for him to refer to me as that, that means a whole lot.

“JG, the way that he is, makes his players want to go out and run through a wall for him.”

Clark gets another chance to impress Gannon and the rest of the coaching staff on Saturday when the Cardinals meet the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs at State Farm Stadium. Kickoff is at 5 p.m., and Clark, who has been getting regular reps with both the first and second-team defense this preseason, is sure to get ample playing time.

He's competing with veteran Antonio Hamilton Sr. and second-year pro Christian Matthew for the starting cornerback job opposite Marco Wilson and in last week’s preseason opener against the Denver Broncos, he had three tackles and broke up a pass play with a diving deflection.

He’d like nothing more than to try his luck against the league’s reigning MVP, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who is returning to the field where he and his teammates won Super Bowl 57 in February. Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Thursday that it’s his intention for the starters to play the entire first half, although he added he might pull some players earlier than that.

Clark, who had five interceptions and 28 pass breakups in college, can’t wait for the opportunity to face Mahomes.

“No question. No question,” he said, smiling. “I can’t wait to go out there and be able to compete. Whenever my number is called to be out there, just know that I’m going to give my all. I’m going swag and I’m going to be me.”

Confidence has never been an issue for Clark, who hails from Midlothian, Virginia. When he was little, he was always outside playing with children older than him. He held his own, too, whether it was against the bigger kids or his stepfather or uncle, whom he challenged in multiple games and various sports.

“My main thing is I go by the mantra, ‘Be you. Don’t be nobody else,’ ” Clark said. “I play DB. I’ve got to showcase my emotions. I’ve got to be me at the end of the day, so y'all might see me dancing. Y'all might see me during a game when everybody is locked in and super serious, I might be dancing still. That just helps me. It’s a game. We’re playing a game and you’ve got to have fun with it.

“I’ve been blessed to get drafted, I’m playing with the top 1 percent and I’m a top 1 percenter as well, so there’s no pressure.”

During training camp, Gannon said one of the best traits he likes in Clark is his “mentality.”

“What I mean by that is corners get beat all the time, the best ones in the world do, and they’re the best ones in the world because of how they respond after they get beat and I think he has some things that can’t be necessarily taught,” Gannon said. “They’re a little more innate and he has when he gets a ball caught on him or he makes a mistake. His mentality is to rebound and play the next play. He’s got a long way to go, but I’m pleased with where he’s at.”

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In college, Clark constantly watched tape of the receivers his team was going to meet every year. He studied their every move and wrote down the details in a notebook, which he often used for reference. He plans to do the same thing at the NFL level to keep him alert and prepared.

For now, his main concern is finishing the preseason strong and trying not to miss a beat on the practice field.

“At the end of the day, every day that I step into the building my ultimate goal is to just be my best self and be able to compete for a spot,” Clark said. “My emotions, they’re neutral right now. Of course I’m excited. I’m in the NFL and this is what I dreamed about since I was a little kid. But there’s still work to be done.

“We’re still in preseason. We haven’t reached the games that matter yet. So right now, I’m just working on my craft and continuing to just try to elevate every single day.”

Cardinals-Chiefs preseason game: Can Arizona compete with the defending champions?

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cardinals' rookie CB Kei'Trel Clark making push for starting spot