How Chase Claypool Emerged As A Feared WR In Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Steelers rookie WR Chase Claypool has taken the NFL by storm.

Chase Claypool: only player in the NFL w/ 3 rec. TDs gaining 30+ yards pic.twitter.com/xdHYwHx8E7

— PFF (@PFF) October 29, 2020

The Notre Dame alumnus was drafted by the Steelers in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft (49th pick overall).

With a talented roster of receivers ahead of him namely JuJu Smith Schuster and Diontae Johnson, no one expected so much production from the rookie.

But Diontae Johnson has been banged up part of the season with a back injury and a concussion and is nursing a toe injury this week.

This has given Claypool an opportunity to shine.

Chase Claypool is a stud.

✅ 19.7 yards per reception (2nd in NFL)

✅ 3.49 Yards per route run (1st in NFL)

✅ 6 TDs (2nd in NFL) pic.twitter.com/1z05zqpGDd

— Nick Farabaugh (@FarabaughFB) October 21, 2020

Who Is Chase Claypool?

Claypool was born in British Columbia.

He played basketball and football in high school.

After receiving numerous offers, he committed to playing football at the University of Notre Dame.

His nickname is “Mapletron”.

Maple is a nod to his Canadian heritage where maple is prevalent.

Tron is a nod to his size, similar to Megatron (Calvin Johnson).

Claypool’s Notre Dame Career

Chase Claypool played all four years of his eligibility.

But his senior year was certainly his finest.

For the first time, he was the number one wide receiver on the roster, and his stats were stellar.

He caught 66 passes for 1,037 yards and 13 TDs.

Professional Career

Because he is Canadian, Claypool was eligible for the 2020 CFL Draft on April 30, 2020.

He went undrafted; however, the week prior at the NFL Draft (April 23, 2020), the Steelers had drafted him.

In July 2020, Claypool signed a contract with the Steelers for $6.6 million over 4 years.

Style of Play

In July, Claypool commented on how he approaches the game:

“I release pretty aggressively, going to attack the ball. Of course, on live plays, you don’t want to be too aggressive because it’s your teammates. You try to keep everyone safe, but you can definitely have a play or two where you can kind of come downhill or something, show your physicality.”

While the Steelers knew Claypool’s capabilities, no one expected him to explode in his rookie season.

This has more to do with the Steelers mentoring rookies slowly than Claypool’s play.

Regardless, Claypool saw significant playing time with Johnson’s injury and flourished.

He has 18 receptions for 333 yards and 4 TDs.

The Eagles game was his career best thus far.

He caught 7 out of 11 passes for 110 yards and 3 TDs.

Coach Tomlin and Ben Roethlisberger on Chase Claypool

Mike Tomlin generally does not pile a heap of praise on young players, and Chase Claypool is no exception.

When asked about Claypool, Tomlin said:

“Let’s be honest, a lot of it might not even have to do with him and his skillset.  We’ve got guys that people have to account for, guys like JuJu, guys like Diontae and Ebron. I just think that he’s probably a good matchup for whoever people have assigned to him from a man-to-man standpoint.”

But Ben Roethlisberger knows he has a good target.

“He’s not like a 6’5” 180-pound guy. He’s got good thickness to him. He can run. Sometimes you get big receivers that don’t high point a ball, reach up and grab it. He does that. He knows how to use his hands. I assume that is some of the old basketball skills that he has.”