Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark addresses Peyton Manning comparison

Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark became the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft this week, going to the Indiana Fever to join forces with last year’s No. 1 pick, Aliyah Boston.

It promises to be a solid partnership, with Clark likely to draw huge crowds with her Midwestern appeal.

How good can Clark be? That’s a topic of discussion as she heads to the next level, and Pat McAfee offered some interesting insight on Wednesday on the Pat McAfee Show, making a lofty comparison.

“People talk about like Dallas Clark, obviously another Iowan, friend of mine, teammate of mine whenever we were with Peyton (Manning),” McAfee explained. “He went to a lot of your games and watched you. He said, ‘She has like all of the traits that Peyton had.’ The accountability, the wanting of excellence all the time.

“There’s people that start judging you for that, though. Do you think about any of that? You’re super competitive, I assume. That’s why Peyton was the way he was. That’s what it is for you?”

Caitlin Clark nodded in agreement, not disagreeing with the assessment about her competitiveness in the slightest.

“Yeah, I don’t really care about what other people say. I feel like I’m just so fiery and so passionate, and I feel like that’s why I’m so good, too,” Clark said. “If I didn’t have that I don’t think I would have the success that I’ve had. But yeah, that’s how I’ve always been. I think I’ve been able to channel it a lot more throughout my career and use it more positive rather than negatively.”

If the comparison plays out it’ll obviously speak very well for Clark’s career. Manning was one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history, a fiery competitor who won two Super Bowl titles.

Like Caitlin Clark, Manning set all kinds of records.

Clark will get a chance to elevate the entirety of women’s hoops, much the way she did in college. And that’s fitting for a player whose competitiveness is legendary enough to compare to Manning’s by those who would know.