Chase Claypool was a late bloomer but ended his career a star at Notre Dame, finishing his senior season with 66 receptions for 1037 yards and 13 touchdowns. His final game in a Notre Dame uniform he helped the Fighting Irish beat up Iowa State and took home game MVP honors.
Claypool then carried that momentum into the off-season where he had strong showings in both the Senior Bowl practices and NFL Combine to presumably raise his draft stock. Now one of the most-respected draft analysts has taken noticed and put Claypool in the first round of his latest mock draft.
Mel Kiper, Jr. described why it would make sense for the Green Bay Packers to take Claypool with the 30th overall pick in round one:
Green Bay cut Jimmy Graham and hasn’t added any receiving help this offseason, so I’m sticking with a wide receiver for its pick, though it’s the third different wideout in my three mock drafts. Like Denzel Mims, Claypool had an electrifying combine, running a 4.42 40 and putting up a 40.5-inch vertical at 6-foot-4, 238 pounds. This might be a slight reach, but a team could fall in love with his traits, and he produced last season, catching 66 passes for 1,037 yards and 13 touchdowns. He could be a matchup nightmare for Aaron Rodgers.
Claypool measured out like a freak drawing physical comparisons to Calvin Johnson with his measurements and the numbers he put up at the combine. Claypool is also as good of blocking receiver as there is in the draft for what it’s worth, not that you draft a receiver that high because they can block.
Most that watched him at Notre Dame thought he may be able to sneak into the first round and just because Mel Kiper, Jr. put him there doesn’t mean anything is anywhere near certain, but it undoubtedly does speak of how the league is likely seeing Claypool after a monstrous off-season.