Chase Claypool

Claypool's career has been trending south ever since a rookie season with 11 total TDs and 873 receiving yards. He had nearly as many yards (860) his second year, but with only two TDs and some mental/effort errors that drew the ire of both Pittsburgh's fans and coaching staff. After a slot start last year, the Steelers shipped him off Week 9 to Chicago where Claypool played out the rest of the season as a part-time player (48 percent snap share in seven games) in a run-heavy offense. The Bears figure to pass more this year, not only because of regression to the mean but also because Justin Fields improved last year and got big-time help this offseason at wide receiver (DJ Moore) and offensive tackle (10th overall pick Darnell Wright). With Darnell Mooney expected back from ankle surgery, Claypool may only be the No. 3 receiver despite boasting one of the most ridiculous athletic profiles in the league (he ran a 4.42 40 at 238 pounds coming out of Notre Dame in 2020).

Claypool scored 11 TDs as a rookie (two rushing) and only two in 2021. Other than that, his stat lines were similar, which made Year 2 disappointing after the attention-grabbing debut. As a rookie, Claypool opened the year as a backup before breaking out Week 5 with four TDs — surprising early production from a player who had just one big season at Notre Dame and was drafted on the strength of his workout numbers (4.42 40, 40.5-inch vertical at 6-4, 238). In Year 2, the oversized wideout had two big games within the first five weeks but then went the rest of the season without reaching even 10 targets or 100 yards in a game. Teammate Diontae Johnson, who also suffered through Ben Roethlisberger's decline, managed to stay productive with the help of an AFC-high 169 targets. The Steelers probably want some of those looks to shift toward Claypool and rookie George Pickens this season, especially downfield, though new QBs Mitch Trubisky and Kenny Pickett won't necessarily be accurate.

Despite not seeing a full complement of snaps until Week 3, Claypool scored 11 times as a rookie, though two of those scores came on short carries, a trick the Steelers didn’t repeat after Week 6. At 6-4, 238, Claypool is built like a tight end, albeit one who clocked a 4.42 40, making him one of the league’s freak athletes. He was the Steelers’ big-play threat last year, though Ben Roethlisberger had neither the arm nor the inclination to take many shots downfield. Claypool’s 8.0 YPT is modest by overall standards, but on a team that put up only 6.3 YPA, it was stellar. JuJu Smith-Schuster re-signed with the Steelers this offseason so his 128 targets aren’t going Claypool’s way, and the talented but drop-prone Diontae Johnson will be involved too. The bigger question, though, is whether Roethlisberger has enough arm and skill left to take advantage of Claypool’s talents.

The 49th pick in this year's draft, Claypool adds tight end size (6-4, 238) with wideout speed (4.42 40) to the Steelers' already-deep receiving corps. He'll probably line up in both spots, but he'll be competing with JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Washington and Diontae Johnson at the former and Eric Ebron and Vance McDonald at the latter. The good news for Claypool is he's the fastest of the bunch, and other than Smith-Schuster, no one's role is set in stone. Ben Roethlisberger is healthy after missing most of last year, and the Steelers should be a pass-heavy team, so there's upside if Claypool can ascend the depth chart.