4 Steelers receivers could lead the team in 4 different categories in 2021

Chase Claypool: Yards

Despite significantly fewer looks as a rookie than Diontae Johnson or JuJu Smith-Schuster received last year, Chase Claypool was only 50 yards away from leading the team in this area. That essentially boils down to one or two off-target deep balls from Ben Roethlisberger – and there were certainly a lot of them last year.

While Claypool botched some nice opportunities, a lot of blame for the struggles down the field rests on the shoulders of Ben, as the aging quarterback failed to consistently throw the ball beyond 10 yards. According to PlayerProfiler.com, Big Ben ranked 3rd in deep throw attempts (72), but just 31st in deep throw completion percentage (27.8 percent). Obviously, this is a statistic that works both ways.

Roethlisberger and Claypool should have much better chemistry in year two. Assuming the offensive line can hold up long enough to find Claypool streaking down the field, the talented young wide receiver will stand an excellent shot at leading the team in receiving yards in 2021. After nearly doing so as a rookie in 2020, he should be the odds-on favorite to lead the team in that category this year.