Disappearing in games
This one can likely be attributed to him being a rookie last season, but Claypool started the year off hot, faded in the middle-late portion, before ending his rookie year on a high note. Between weeks 11-16, Claypool only registered 22 receptions for 272 yards and one touchdown. While those numbers are far from horrible, it certainly seemed like he was phased out of the offense for a while after a hot start to the season.
Now, all of this wasn’t solely on him. This same stretch of games also happened to coincide with Ben Roethlisberger’s personal struggles last year. The offense was predictable, and the deep pass was almost nonexistent. That said, Claypool saw his snap total go down during this stretch. He went from averaging just under 70 percent of the offensive snaps down closer to 60 percent. More than likely, Claypool was wearing down and hitting the rookie wall.
If Claypool wants to become one of the best players in the game, he can’t hit that wall again. Sure, every receiver has rough patches, but a six-game stretch where your role fades isn’t a good sign. Again, he was a rookie, and the entire Steelers offense was in a slump then, but he needs to make sure he can continue to play at a high level every week for this offense. He has a full offseason now to prepare himself, so he can’t be in multi-week slumps heading into 2021.