Steelers WR Chase Claypool Admits He Was Absolutely "Naive" In The Past; Off-Season Preparation Now "10 Times Better" In 2022

The Pittsburgh Steelers players are arriving at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania and we will hear from many of them as they meet with members of the media the next few days. One player who has been criticized by Steelers fans for his play last season is wide receiver, Chase Claypool. The wide out heading into his third season addressed reports upon his arrival and already appears to have matured from last season which is exactly what fans were expecting from him.

Claypool acknowledged that he was extremely naive last year because of the success he had on the field during his rookie season and commented on why he is "bullish" on the upcoming season:

"I just think compared to what I've done in prior years after my first year and what I did this year in terms of preparation and training and studying film and all that, it's 10 times more than what I've done," said Claypool. "I was pretty naive before in the past to think that, you know, that I could repeat success without preparation. I've really taken that preparation to the next step."

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 21: Chase Claypool #11 of the Pittsburgh Steelers reacts during the game against the Los Angeles Chargers in the second half at SoFi Stadium on November 21, 2021 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Steelers fans are hoping that Claypool can step up big this season after a year where he was looked at as immature, even by NFL legends like "Mean" Joe Greene. He had multiple on field blunders and under performed, scoring only twice as opposed to 11 times during his first year. A bounce back year for the wide receiver could be a major key to success for the team's offense.

Steelers Claypool Has Had Help This Off-Season From An All-Pro

Claypool has been using the knowledge of former Pro Bowl wide receiver, Brandon Marshall, and looking to him as someone to learn from.

"I've been using Brandon Marshall as a mentor and I've been using his coach that coached him throughout his years in the NFL and in college. So, I flew his coach out and we got a lot of board work done and I kind of just had a little football retreat at my house," said Claypool. "I went up to Florida, trained with him inside his facility and just got a lot of nuggets that I could use in the season."

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers Diontae Johnson (#18) and Chase Claypool (#11) celebrate at Heinz Field. | The Athletic

All the Steelers faithful can hope for is an improved Claypool in terms of both his play and his maturity. With a young receiving core, this will be the first year he is looked at as a leader on an offense that has very few pieces than it did back in 2020.

How do you feel about Claypool's first comments of the season? Let us know in the comments below!

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