Pittsburgh hasn’t taken a wide receiver in the first round since 2006, but nearly all of their receiving production this in the last decade came from players they themselves drafted. The rookie Claypool, out of Notre Dame, is just the latest example in a receiving corps that also includes other Steelers’ draftees JuJu Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson and James Washington. A four-touchdown game entered Claypool’s name into the national consciousness, but that’s not the only time this season he displayed the skillset that will have other NFL teams kicking themselves.
Yes, 2020 was a deep receiving class, and yes, there had been lingering concerns about Claypool’s frame as a wide receiver for years. But that might have led teams to overlook the very obvious athleticism and college production that has already translated to big plays on NFL fields.
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Where did Chase Claypool go to college?
Coming out of British Columbia, Claypool may have flown a little under-the-radar compared to some top wide receiver prospects stateside, but you’re not a no-name if Notre Dame notices. The questions about his long-term position were already evident, as Scout.com ranked Claypool among its tight-end recruits. But Claypool went to South Bend and played wide receiver all the way through.
As a freshman, Claypool was Notre Dame’s leading special-teams tackler. As a sophomore and junior, he became a useful receiver. And then as a senior, Claypool was frequently dominant.
Claypool caught 66 passes as a senior for 1,037 yards and 13 touchdowns in 13 games. He capped off his college career with a big game in the Camping World Bowl, catching seven passes for 146 yards and a score against Iowa State. He also gave a four-touchdown preview when the Fighting Irish played Navy and Claypool found paydirt four times. Claypool left Notre Dame with the seventh-most receptions in the storied program’s history.
Leading into the NFL Combine, though, Claypool’s end-game position was still in question. There were still thoughts that he might be a tight end long-term. Then Claypool went out, ran a 4.42-second 40-yard dash, showed off a 40.5-inch vertical leap and put those thoughts to bed. Measured at 6-4, 238 pounds, those numbers for Claypool were basically unheard of.
The only other receiver in Combine history to run that fast in the 40-yard dash at that size is a likely Hall of Famer: Calvin Johnson. Despite the Combine numbers and his collegiate production, Claypool wasn’t close to the most highly touted receiver of in a deep class at the position.
Chase Claypool, draft day steal?
The Steelers chose Claypool in the second round with the 49th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He was the 11th receiver off the board. The 10 before him went in this order: Henry Ruggs, Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb, Jalen Reagor, Justin Jefferson, Brandon Aiyuk, Tee Higgins, Michael Pittman Jr., Laviska Shenault and K.J. Hamler.
The NFL Draft community wasn’t particularly sold on Claypool as the Steelers’ highest pick in the 2020 draft. NFL.com acknowledged that he’s a massive target but wrote, “He doesn’t offer much sizzle after the catch.” Bleacher Report called him “an interesting receiver who fills a need.” WalterFootball.com’s review of the Claypool pick started with “meh.”
The big plays Claypool has put together so far make him seem like anything but “meh. Pittsburgh has used him not only as a big-bodied, fast receiver but also as a rusher on jet-sweep action. In Week 2, he caught three passes for 88 yards and a score. He had seven catches, three runs and four touchdowns in Week 5. He followed that up with four catches for 74 yards, and he just had five catches and a touchdown in Week 8. The Steelers have even used Claypool on special teams every week, and he’s already got five tackles this season.
Before the season, Smith-Schuster spoke with Sporting News about Claypool, and he had this to say about the rookie: “Coming in at 6-4, being able to run a 4.4 (in the 40-yard dash), it’s crazy. The kid is blessed. He’s started out on a good foot and doing the right things for us.”
Claypool’s 6-4 frame and 4.4-second 40-yard dash speed seem to have been chalked up as just measurables on a page and not immediate signals of production. But with a veteran quarterback and smart offensive minds, the Steelers have put Claypool in situations to succeed. He can win jump balls, so throwing him jump balls makes sense. He can beat defenders on the perimeter when freed up in space, so the jet-sweep runs make sense. And he can get over the top on defenses, so having Claypool go deep makes sense.
There were more polished wideouts in the 2020 draft, and that’s why Claypool fell to the pick he did. But he joined a proven team that knows how to utilize a player’s strengths and hide a player’s weaknesses. That’s what the whole league has already seen with Claypool — his strengths can be very tough to stop.
Steelers’ recent history drafting wide receivers
Claypool is just the latest wide-receiver gem taken by the Steelers in the NFL Draft. While there have been some misses, Pittsburgh has found a number of gems considering they haven’t drafted a first-round receiver since Santonio Holmes in 2006. Below is a list of the receivers Pittsburgh has taken in the NFL Draft since 2010, along with their stats for the Steelers through Week 11 of the 2020 season.
