Packers: Kenny Clark one of NFL’s best players under 25

Kenny Clark is one of the NFL’s best players under 25.

Kenny Clark has become a star along the defensive line for the Green Bay Packers, and he’s still not hit his prime.

Clark, a Pro Bowler in 2019, is entering his fifth season with the Packers and has 16.5 sacks to his name since being selected in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

It’s hard to believe that after playing in 60 games for the Packers, 46 of which he has started, that he’s only 24 years old.

Clark is Packers’ only player featured in CBS Sports top 25 rankings under 25

Sean Wagner-McGough of CBS Sports has ranked the top 25 players in the NFL who are under 25 years old. Unsurprisingly, Clark makes the list at No. 21. Yet despite all of Clark’s success in recent years, Wagner-McGough notes that he is still underrated.

Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander was on a long list of talented players who “just missed the cut”.

Clark is in good company. It’ll come as no surprise that Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson are the top two players in the rankings, but Clark is ahead of Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook, Tennessee Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown, and New Orleans Saints safety Marcus Williams.

The concern for the Packers is that Clark is entering the final year of his current deal. For a player they have drafted and developed, and who has now become a star defensive tackle, they can’t afford to lose him in free agency when he’ll be entering his prime.

General manager Brian Gutekunst needs to ensure the Packers get a deal agreed as soon as possible, ideally this summer or by the end of the 2020 season at the latest. The longer it goes, the bigger the conversation will become about the franchise tag.

Clark is one of the best NFL players under 25, but the Packers now need to ensure he’s still playing in Green Bay when he’s over 25.