The Steelers landed a gem in Claypool from the 2020 rookie class. This is what he has to do this season to become an elite player.
The Steelers struck gold when they drafted the physical freak Chase Claypool in the second round of the 2020 draft. While the selection was a surprise to most fans, it paid dividends early as he took the league by storm. Heading into 2021, not much has changed for Claypool besides him having a full offseason to prepare himself for his sophomore season. While already on a good path, Claypool has the potential to be a great, game-changing receiver if he takes the necessary next steps.
What does this mean for the Steelers?
Claypool enters this season with certain expectations, and given the quality depth of this receiving room, he won’t be the lone target. While that will mean more single coverages for him, it will also mean that he will have to share his targets with the rest of the room. So no, don’t expect Claypool to go off for 1500 receiving yards due to the fact that he simply won’t have those targets. What he can do is build off his impressive rookie season though, and to that point, he can give the Steelers confidence in their receiving room after 2021.
While he doesn’t need to complete all of these to improve, making some of these jumps could launch him into the next tier of receiving threat. Based on his physical attributes and skills, Claypool has a chance to become an elite player, but it will take some development on his end. Thus, these are the five things Claypool can do to make him a more elite player in 2021.