The Pittsburgh Steelers got a winner in former Notre Dame receiver Chase Claypool during the 2020 NFL draft. Taken 49th overall in the second round, Claypool’s rookie season consisted of 873 receiving yards on 62 receptions along with 11 total touchdowns. It was enough to land him on the All-Rookie Team.
Claypool’s big season naturally set off debate on whether he should have been a first-round selection. With this year’s draft one day away, The Athletic gathered its NFL beat reporters for a redo of the first round of the 2020 draft. Philadelphia Eagles reporter Zach Berman had the team drafting Claypool 21st overall and gave this reasoning:
“At 6-foot-4 and 238 pounds with a 4.42-second 40-yard dash, Claypool offers a size-speed profile that is hard to find. The Eagles saw Claypool’s talent in person — he scored four touchdowns against them in Week 5 while totaling 110 receiving yards. Carolina safety Jeremy Chinn was also under consideration, but it’s hard to see the Eagles passing on a receiver when redrafting.”
It’s hard to argue against Philadelphia drafting a receiver if they could do it all over. No Eagle had more than 53 receptions all season. That’s fewer than some NFL running backs had in 2020.
Nevertheless, Claypool has found a nice home in Pittsburgh. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a long career in which he’ll be very productive for the Steelers and any other team he might suit up for. After all, having Ben Roethlisberger as your first quarterback only can help.