2. WR Chase Claypool
A year ago, there’s no way that I would have thought I would be including two wide receivers on this list of players to build around and not having JuJu Smith-Schuster as one of them. Yet, here we stand. Though it is still very early in his NFL career, it’s hard to argue against having Chase Claypool as the second most valuable future building block to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Through his first 9 games in the league, Claypool has managed an eye-popping 9 touchdowns (7 receiving, 2 rushing). If not for the stellar play of some impressive rookie quarterbacks this year, Claypool would no doubt have a legitimate shot at securing Defensive Player of the Year honors. But regardless of whether or not he is credited with something like this, Steelers fans can see just how good this kid is going to be.
Claypool turned just 22 years old before the season and, while the comparison originally seemed unreasonable, he’s on pace to crush Calvin Johnson’s rookie receiving numbers. With an elite combination of size, speed, and athleticism to go with a massive catch radius and spectacular ball skills, I think Chase Claypool is the second-most valuable building block on this entire team.