Pittsburgh Steelers: Chase Claypool has the makeup to be a star in 2021

After being the 49th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and first selection for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2020, Chase Claypool had a lot of excitement around his name. These high expectations came from being valued as a first-round talent, being the first selection for the Steelers, and being a new weapon to a dull offense in Pittsburgh.

Production came early for the first-year man as he scored four touchdowns week four against the Eagles. Size, athleticism, and production create a certain makeup for Claypool to become a star in Pittsburgh.

Chase Claypool stands at 6-foot-4 and weighs around 240 pounds giving him a huge frame for his position. Many draft analysts saw Claypool maybe playing a hybrid tight end role like an Evan Engram. Ultimately that wasn’t the case for the Canadian native in his rookie year.

Claypool locked himself in as being the top outside weapon in deep ball situations and Red Zone one on ones for the Steelers. Also was used well in the run offense for blocking and used in many designed runs. Was given the nickname Mapletron by fans because of his Candian descent and having such similar build and abilities to Calvin “Megatron” Johnson.

Being the heaviest receiver in the NFL at exactly 238 pounds, nine pounds heavier than the second heaviest in DK Metcalf, Chase Claypool comes as a unique matchup to any defense. To touch back on the Eagles game week four, Claypool simply seemed too big for corners and too fast for linebackers placed on him in man coverage.

Claypool is a walking mismatch with his frame and has the speed to not get outran on deep balls. Obtaining a nice catch radius and somewhat stiff at times, but fluent in motion routes plays into him becoming a problem for years to come for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The genetic makeup of Claypool is already scary, but his athletic ability is damn near unimaginable. At the 2020 combine Chase ran a 40-yard dash of 4.42 and jumped for 40.5 inches on the vertical jump raising him in draft boards. Then adding the intangibles of toe-drags and using his body and speed to get open is impressive. Claypool is a freakishly athletic wideout at this level and showed so much production in his first season as an NFL player.

In his rookie season, Claypool caught 62 balls for 873 yards and 9 touchdowns last season. To add to his stat line Claypool ran for two touchdowns, had 14.1 yards per reception, and was fourth in rookie receiving yards and first in rookie receiving touchdowns.

Many saw Claypool as a project for the Pittsburgh Steelers who already had JuJu Smith-Schuster, Dionte Johnson, and James Washington in the building, but with his size and ability, Claypool brought different traits than all the other receivers possess on the Steelers. The production Claypool brought last season brought a lot of excitement to his team, fans, and the entire league.

Chase Claypool is a walking lab experiment with his 6-foot-4 frame, 4.4 speed, and what he can do on the football field. With already a dope nickname in Mapleton and having the numbers give him the makeup to be a star in this league.

The second season is always a crucial season for young players for many go into a Sophomore slump. Having this superstar makeup of size, athleticism, and production gives the Pittsburgh Steelers and fans of the team hope number 11 is their guy for years to come.