Ryan Clark Absolutely Obliterates Jake Paul’s Bold NFL Take
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
Jake Paul never lacks confidence. The boxer proved that again during a recent appearance on The Pivot podcast when he doubled down on his belief that he could play in the NFL.
Former NFL player Ryan Clark pushed back on that claim during the talk. Clark asked how Paul could feel so sure about making it as a slot receiver without any real football experience.
The chat suddenly turned into a big debate about sports skill, deep self-belief, and what it really takes to play at the top level of football.
Clark Questions Paul’s NFL Confidence
Clark pointed directly at Paul’s recent comments about potentially playing in the NFL. Paul recently told Front Office Sports that multiple NFL teams had contacted him about joining a roster.
On the show, Paul answered with confidence. He basically pointed to his athletic ability and belief in himself.
“I bench more than all of you, guaranteed. And that’s just like right now. And I don’t even practice bench pressing. I’ll squat more than all of you. I’m faster than all of you,” Paul said during the discussion.
Jake Paul and Ryan Clark got into a debate over his goal of playing in the NFL 👀
🗣️ “I bench more than all of you. I squat more than you. I’m faster than you. Words are cheap… It can’t be that hard.”
🗣️ “The audacity… You’re 29 and never stepped on a pro football field.” pic.twitter.com/5a2rEArbQB
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) July 31, 2026
Then Clark pushed back.
“To have the audacity to say it out loud that that’s what you’re going to do. 29 years old, to have not stepped on a professional football field. What makes you so confident that you can do what we were able to do for a living?” Clark asked.
When others disagreed, Paul stood by his claim. He then explained where his confidence comes from.
“Yeah, I think just God, believing in myself, and manifestation and self-belief are some of the most powerful things in the world. And I have God-given talents and athleticism,” he said.
Paul did acknowledge limits to his comparison. He said he could not do what NFL stars Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase do on the field. He called them “different level athletes.” Still, he argued that he could handle the role of a slot receiver in the league.
Clark’s doubts align with what most people in professional football say. Plenty of top athletes from other sports have tried and failed to make it in the NFL.
Brock Lesnar is a great example. Lesnar won a national wrestling title in Minnesota in 2000 and went on to become a huge WWE star. He later tried to play in the NFL for the Minnesota Vikings. He appeared in three preseason games before the team released him.
Paul has a bit of an advantage due to his raw athletic build. Moreover, he holds a 12-2 record over 14 pro fights and has a great career in the ring.
Even so, making an NFL team is a completely different test.
