After having a year in which he found himself overachieving during his rookie campaign back in 2020, the Pittsburgh Steelers second round selection in 2020, Chase Claypool saw himself struggle during his sophomore season in this past year.
Expectations were set high not only by Steeler Nation itself, but by those around the organization as far as the potential overall ceiling for Claypool after posting a rookie season in which he scored a total of 11 touchdowns (nine total receiving and two total rushing). Instead, things went the opposite direction as the young wide receiver struggled to not only match his numbers from the previous season, but even struggled being productive while on the field.
In his rookie season, Claypool posted 62 receptions for 873 yards and 9 receiving touchdowns. These stats were good enough to render Claypool receiving the Steelers 2020 Rookie of the Year Award as well as being recognized by the NFL itself, honoring Claypool with an appearance on the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie Team. Standing at 6’4" with a 4.42 40-yard dash time, the young receiver was able to show his ability to not only create separation from himself and the defensive back, but also being able to grab the ball at its highest point before any defenders can make a play on it. He was not only utilized as a “deep ball threat” in the Steelers offense, but also as a goal line threat each time they marched down the field and got to the red zone.
Although healthy for the majority of last season, Claypool took a major step backward instead of forwards like all of Steeler Nation expected. There were reports throughout his sophomore season that Claypool was potentially struggling with his mentality off the field, which could have hindered his overall play on the field. Claypool played in fourteen total games last year in which he caught 59 receptions for 860 yards, only seeing the end zone a total of two times. Although he may have only caught a few less passes than his rookie campaign, Claypool did not show the “big play” ability that he did his previous season, which is what made him such a threat offensively.
Putting last season behind us, there is no secret that the Steelers are going into this upcoming season with plenty of change coming our way. We all know that future Hall of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has retired, which now means this team is going to be running a different type of offense than what they had run the previous 18 seasons with Roethlisberger under center. The organization has trusted the likes of either Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph or this year's first round selection, Kenny Pickett, to take the reigns as the starting quarterback this year, and it sounds like Claypool has liked what he has seen so far in OTA’s from each of the three mentioned.
“We love Mitch [Trubisky] and Kenny [Pickett], the new guys who came in this year. Mason [Rudolph] has always been a great guy to us, so we are all clicking pretty well.”
“The veteran presence is definitely missed [without Roethlisberger], but Mitch is doing a great job stepping up. Even Kenny and Mason are popping in and encouraging us, showing a lot of energy. It’s pretty cool to see that from some of the guys who haven't been here a long time.”
Steelers 2022 Potential Starting Quarterbacks Trubisky (10) , Rudolph (2) , Pickett (8), and Oladokun (5) throw during 2022 OTA's. | SteelersNow.com
It sounds like Claypool has been doing what he can to ensure that he has his best season yet in the black and gold. He stated that the chemistry that is being built between him and the quarterbacks is “building and it's building really early,” which is encouraging for all of Steeler Nation to hear. No matter who is under center, the Steelers have a plethora of options at the receiver position with talent all across the board. Although Claypool's counterpart, Diontae Johnson, has not yet set foot at the Steelers OTA's, Claypool has vocalized his efforts of stepping up as far as becoming a leader and believes that his work ethic is something many will see a change in this upcoming season.
“I hope to be more versatile in what position I play as far as inside and outside. I’m trying to work all positions and trying to put myself in a position where I maybe mess up a play. I do that because I can learn from that and perfect it for this year.”
Watch the full interview with Steelers' Chase Claypool below
The reports have been coming out this past week that Johnson is holding out of OTA's in search of a new long-term contract with the Steelers. Although Johnson himself has debunked the reports as of now, Claypool is getting all of the off-season reps as the Steelers number one wide receiver and it does not sound like that is something he is taking for granted.
Don’t judge my choices without understanding my reasons..
— Diontae Johnson (@Juiceup__3) May 30, 2022
Do you think Claypool could step up in Johnson's potential absence? Do we think he learned from his mistakes in 2021? Click to comment below!
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