In the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Chase Claypool out of Notre Dame, drawing the approval of Ben Roethlisberger. Shortly after the team selected him, Roethlisberger spoke out on the Steelers drafting Claypool.
“I honestly don’t know much about Chase other than his numbers and size, but [I’m] excited,” Roethlisberger told Ed Bouchette of TheAthletic.com via email. “I heard he’s a good, hard-working guy and a great teammate. I’m sure he’s excited to get to come share a [wide receivers meeting] room and learn from a great player like JuJu [Smith-Schuster].”
Prior to entering the NFL Draft, Claypool was able to record 66 receptions for 1,037 yards and 13 touchdowns in his final season at Notre Dame. But it was his performance at the NFL Combine that caught the attention of NFL scouts.
Standing at 6-foot-4, 238 pounds, Claypool ran a 4.42 40-yard dash and was able to post a 40.5-inch vertical jump. Comparatively, Calvin Johnson ran his 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds at a similar size as Claypool. Even though he isn't Johnson, Claypool brings an exciting skillset to the Steelers.
For Roethlisberger, he's coming off a season that ended prematurely due to a season-ending elbow injury he sustained in Week 2. Once Roethlisberger went down, Pittsburgh's offense was never the same in 2019.
In recent years, the Steelers have shown that they can draft wide receivers well, getting guys like JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson in the second and third rounds respectively. While Roethlisberger is nearing the final stretch of his career, he's definitely on board with the addition of Claypool to the offense.
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