Is Chase Claypool already the Steelers No. 2 receiver?

After the Pittsburgh Steelers used their first pick of the 2020 NFL Draft on him, should Chase Claypool already be penciled in as the team’s second receiver?

Despite using a second-round pick to select a wide receiver in two of the previous three NFL Drafts, the Pittsburgh Steelers went ahead and used this year’s second-round selection on another young pass-catcher.

This time, the Steelers added former Notre Dame receiver, Chase Claypool. The 6-4, 238-pound pass-catcher finished his last college season with 66 catches for 1,037 yards (15.7 average) and 13 touchdowns in 13 games.

With his size, Claypool has the ability to leap over defenders and come down with the football. His testing numbers at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine were really impressive and his MockDraftable profile compares him to guys like Andre Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, and Vincent Jackson.

So how big of a role will Claypool end up having for Pittsburgh’s offense in 2020? Can he have an immediate impact or will it take him a little bit to contribute anything meaningful to the Steelers?

Heading into the upcoming season, Pittsburgh’s coaching staff will likely attempt to keep a straight face and say that Claypool will begin the year as the team’s No. 3 receiver and they’ll just take it from there.

But even if that actually does end up being the case, it’s not hard to imagine Claypool making the most of his opportunities early in the 2020 season and eventually moving up the depth chart to be the Steelers’ No. 2 receiver.

People tend to forget that Randy Moss began his NFL career as the No. 3 receiver for the Minnesota Vikings since they already had two talented starting pass-catchers in Cris Carter and Jake Reed.

Now, this isn’t to say that Claypool is going to be the next Moss. But giving a talented rookie receiver something to strive for is a tactic that has been used for years by multiple teams around the league.

So is Claypool capable of starting the upcoming season as Pittsburgh’s No. 2 receiver? Of course he is. However, the Steelers will likely have him begin the year as the team’s third receiver at best and then they will see how long it takes for him to work his way up the depth chart.

For Pittsburgh, hopefully, it’s sooner than later.