Bump: A lot to like in Seahawks 2nd-round pick Bud Clark

For the second straight year, the Seattle Seahawks took a speedy, versatile, playmaking defensive back in the second round of the NFL Draft.

This one was more of a surprise.

After trading up in the 2025 draft for eventual Defensive Rookie of the Year runner-up Nick Emmanwori, the Seahawks selected Texas Christian safety Bud Clark with their No. 64 overall pick of the 2026 draft on Friday night.

Seahawks 2026 NFL Draft Tracker: Keep up with picks and trades

Unlike Emmanwori, Clark wasn’t a name many linked to the Seahawks during the pre-draft process.

“When you get a guy like Bud Clark who wasn’t on anyone’s radar, that has to be one of their guys, a guy that they’ve had on their board for a while,” former NFL wide receiver Michael Bumpus said during his instant reaction to the pick on Seattle Sports’ draft coverage show.

“It doesn’t feel like a panic pick. A panic pick would have been, let’s just get (Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy) and hope everything works out (with his ACL injury). … Off a quick film watch, I like the pick. I just wasn’t expecting it.”

The 6-foot-1, 188-pound Clark showed impressive range, speed, anticipation and ball skills at TCU, totaling 15 interceptions, two pick-sixes and 21 pass breakups over his final four college seasons.

As a senior in 2025, he filled up the stat sheet with four interceptions, a pick-six, seven pass breakups, a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss.

Clark also ran a 4.41-second 40-yard dash and posted a 38-inch vertical jump at the NFL combine. And he offers plenty of positional flexibility, logging more than 1,200 snaps in the slot, 700 snaps in the box and 400 snaps at free safety over his six-year career at TCU, according to Pro Football Focus.

Related: Seahawks draft versatile TCU safety Bud Clark at No. 64

Clark’s skill set gives Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald another versatile chess piece to deploy alongside Emmanwori and three-time Pro Bowl cornerback Devon Witherspoon.

“I love his backpedal,” Bumpus said. “A smooth backpedal. Great hips. There’s a route where the receiver takes him to the corner, he flips the hips to the post and it looked easy. Great awareness too. He feels the ball, he’s on his receivers, and it’s almost like he has a radar where he feels the ball coming (and) throws a hand up at the right time.

“You can send him on blitzes as well. He’s aggressive getting downhill, and then he finds himself around the ball constantly. That’s what good football players do. You do your job, the ball will come to you.”

Seattle Seahawks and NFL Draft coverage

• Stacy Rost: 3 things the Jadarian Price pick says about Seahawks
• Brock: What separated Price from Seahawks’ other RB draft options
• Draft Reaction: Seahawks’ pick of RB Price a merge of talent, need
• Seattle Seahawks draft Notre Dame RB Jadarian Price at No. 32
• Brock: Rams’ QB pick at No. 13 overall a gift to Seattle Seahawks

Related

Jets OC praises ex-Seahawks QB Geno Smith: ‘It feels like he’s 28’Roster Move: Seahawks sign linebacker Power EcholsSeahawks CB Jobe in new territory heading into 2026Rams’ McVay: Aaron Donald ‘looked great’ in workout‘The ninja’: Seahawks players, coaches rave about Byron Murphy IISeahawks sign fullback Brock Lampe with Ouzts sidelined