After a four-touchdown performance, the 6’4” and 230-pound rookie receiver Chase Claypool will likely be the most added player from waivers this week, and rightfully so. He had seven catches on 11 targets for 110 yards and three touchdowns. Claypool also added a two-yard rushing touchdown on a screen. He has officially earned his nickname “Mapletron,” which was given after the Canadian drew comparisons to the former Detroit Lions receiver, Calvin Johnson.
Claypool was the 11th wide receiver taken in the 2020 draft, which coincidentally is also his jersey number for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Out of the ten selected in front of him in April, none have more than two touchdowns and Claypool now has five total. According to Pro Football Focus, only one of those wideouts have graded higher thus far, Minnesota Vikings Justin Jefferson.
He is a mismatch nightmare with his combination of size and speed. And as someone that thought he would be the best rookie receiver, I believe he is just getting started.
Mapletron’s Outlook
With JuJu Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson, and Eric Ebron as the team’s other receiving options, don’t expect him to consistently have monster games as he did against the Philadelphia Eagles. But I can confidently say that he is going to have a larger role in the game plans moving forward, especially if Johnson continues to battle injuries.
The concern at the beginning of the year revolved around Ben Roethlisberger being able to deliver big plays as he did before his elbow surgery. With four games already in the books, that is no longer a concern for Big Ben as he currently on pace for over 4,000 passing yards and 40 touchdowns. The touchdowns may be too optimistic, but anything close to that would most certainly mean Claypool is getting his fair share of those.
We know the Steelers’ offense can support easily support two receivers when Roethlisberger is healthy. In 2017 and 2018, he was throwing to the very dangerous duo Smith-Schuster and Antonio Brown. During those two seasons, they combined for 5,310 receiving yards and 41 touchdown receptions.
Although Claypool is 4th in targets for the Steelers through the first quarter of the season, he has the most receiving yards, touchdowns, and the highest yards per reception. He has become a legitimate deep threat in this offense, and Mapletron is here to stay.
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