Steelers Chase Claypool won’t get the same opportunity as rookie WRs of the past
By Tommy Jaggi
Chase Claypool may have been the Steelers top draft choice in 2020, but here’s why he won’t get the same opportunities as rookie receivers in past years.
When the Steelers were under the leadership of Bill Cowher from 1992-2006, things looked a lot different. Pittsburgh was full of veterans and rookies couldn’t just jump in and make a difference; they had to work their way up from the bottom. Even eventual first-ballot Hall of Famer and former first-round pick, Troy Polamalu, was forced to start his career as a special teams player.
Under the direction of head coach Mike Tomlin since 2007, things have looked very different. The days of high draft picks having to work their way up the roster were no more. After just a few seasons into his coaching career, rookies like Mike Wallace, Maurkice Pouncey, David DeCastro, and Le’Veon Bell were able to start and contribute to the team from the gate.
Recently, we have witnessed similar success from young players – especially at the wide receiver position. The Steelers have invested a lot into their current group of receivers, and these young playmakers have been given the chance to shine early in their careers.
JuJu Smith-Schuster exploded onto the scene as a rookie in 2017 – starting 7 games and earning 917 yards and 7 touchdowns. By his second season in the league, he compiled more than 1,400 yards with the Steelers.
James Washington, another former second-round draft choice by Pittsburgh, had a rough transition into the NFL as a rookie, but was still targeted 38 times behind while playing behind JuJu and Antonio Brown. Washington saw 80 targets last year.
Diontae Johnson is the most recent example of rookie success at the wide receiver position, as he earned 92 targets and led all rookies in receptions last season.
Why Chase Claypool will not have the same opportunity for success early on
Unfortunately, rookie receiver Chase Claypool won’t have the same opportunities his current Steelers teammates were given.
As you are well aware, the NFL looks very different right now amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Rookie minicamps were scratched this offseason and all preseason games have officially been canceled. In addition, there are fewer padded practices at training camp this year.
All of these factors point to Chase Claypool earning limited opportunities during his rookie season. Though Claypool seemed to get better each year in college, his growth may be stunted a bit after entering the NFL in such an unusual year.
With such a small number of padded practices and little time to get acclimated to his quarterback and coaching staff, it will be incredibly difficult for Claypool’s rookie season to go on without a hitch. Every game is critical in the NFL, and if the coaching staff doesn’t feel like he is ready to play after just a few dozen practices, then he won’t see the field on offense.
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Obviously, this could change if Claypool turns out to be well ahead of schedule in terms of knowing the playbook or if other Steelers receivers happen to go down with injuries. However, if these things don’t happen, we may have to wait until 2021 before we see any sizable impact from wide receiver Chase Claypool.