Dean Clark went undrafted out of Fresno State in 2025 and worked his way onto the Jets' active roster by midseason.
Dean Clark took the long route to the NFL, transferring from Kent State to Fresno State before signing with the Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2025. After starting the year on the practice squad, the safety carved out a special-teams role and stuck on New York's active roster.
Path to the league
Clark started his college career at Kent State from 2019 to 2022, earning All-Mid-American Conference recognition, before transferring to Fresno State for his final two seasons. He went unselected in the 2025 NFL Draft and signed with the Jets as an undrafted free agent.
Career highlights
Across his two seasons at Fresno State, Clark started in all 24 games he was available for and totaled 146 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and four interceptions, earning honorable mention All-Mountain West honors in 2024. He tested well at his pro day, running a 4.51-second 40-yard dash with a 41-inch vertical jump.
2025 season recap
Clark was waived in initial roster cuts but returned to the Jets' practice squad and was elevated to the active roster for Week 3 against Tampa Bay. He was formally signed to the active roster on November 5, 2025, and carved out a special-teams role, recording six tackles across 12 games as a rookie.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Dean Clark (American football)
- New York Jets: Dean Clark
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
12 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | jets | 12 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Safety
- Group
- defense
- College
- Fresno State
- Hometown
- Massillon, OH, USA
- Age
- 25
- Status
- active
