Chiefs’ Frank Clark ranks 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo as a top-10 NFL quarterback

Kansas City Chiefs defensive end and Super Bowl champion Frank Clark joined ESPN's First Take on Friday morning. He was asked about his Super Bowl LIV opponent, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

First, it is worth noting that Clark was seemingly critical of Garoppolo leading to and after the game. He felt that focusing on stopping the 49ers' run game and forcing the quarterback to try to beat them would be enough for the Chiefs to win. It was a sentiment shared by fellow defensive lineman Chris Jones.

What did Clark think when Garoppolo had a chance to prove himself and mount a comeback drive of his own?

"In my head, honestly, I was saying this guy's not going down the field to beat us," Clark said on First Take. "We need three-and-outs, consecutive ones, if we're going to win this game, and that's what we was able to go out there and do."

That doesn't mean Clark lacks respect for Garoppolo. He was asked where the 49ers signal-caller ranks among NFL quarterbacks, in his opinion.

"I feel like he's one of the best quarterbacks in the league," Clark responded. "But you say top-5, I wouldn't put him top-5. I'd put him up there as one of the top 10 guys, though, for sure."

The only problem for the 49ers on Sunday was that they did face a top-5 quarterback — quite possibly the best in the league — on Sunday in Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs were able to overcome a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit and score 21 unanswered points in the closing minutes to become Super Bowl champions.