Chase Claypool Impressing Early On

By: Michael Stiffler, @Stiffeezy_ on Twitter

SteelerNation.com

I will be honest, the moment the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Chase Claypool, I wasn’t in love with the pick. We already had players like JuJu Smith Schuster, James Washington, and Diontae Johnson, and the draft had a plethora of talent at the receiver position. I knew his background where he is originally from Canada, where the level of football isn’t up to par with that of the United States. Before the combine began, there were rumors that he would make the switch from wide receiver to tight end, so I had my reservations that he would be more than a special teams player for the immediate future. 

Now that camp has kicked up and news is coming out daily, Claypool has impressed early on. It is hard not to notice how physically imposing he is compared to others on the field. At 6’4”, 238lbs he looks like a physical specimen. 

Not only is his size impressive compared to others on the field, but he has received rave reviews from Pro Bowl cornerback, Joe Haden. Haden spoke very highly of Claypool, using phrases like, “big body, a big deep threat, with soft hands”, calling him a “problem” for opposing defenses this upcoming season. He went on to describe that Claypool has gotten the best of him a couple plays already, citing one play Monday where the offense was on the 2-yard line and Claypool got a back shoulder catch over Haden, and he was unsuccessful in knocking the ball out of the receiver’s hands.

Claypool should have no issue carving out his role in this receiver group with the raw talent he brings to the table. It shouldn’t surprise fans if he were to replicate Martavis Bryant’s rookie season where he accumulated 549 receiving yards and 8 touchdown receptions. Expectation should be to look for number 11 going deep and look for him in the redzone.

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