Chase Claypool - Steady presence at spring practices Claypool was present throughout the Steelers' offseason program and often served as the leader of the WR group with Diontae Johnson not present for voluntary sessions, Joe Rutter o... Impact Claypool caught some heat for declaring himself a "top-five" or "top-three" receiver in the league on the I Am Athlete podcast in June, but apart from some overconfidence he seems to be having a good offseason. The 24-year-old wideout has rare physical gifts with 4.42 speed at 238 pounds, but he didn't progress from Year 1 to Year 2, essentially posting the same numbers but with seven fewer touchdowns. While there's a strong chance Claypool deals with subpar QB play again in Year 3, he'll at least get someone with better arm strength than end-of-career Ben Roethlisberger, be it veteran Mitch Trubisky or rookie Kenny Pickett. The new competition for targets consists of second-round pick George Pickens and fourth-rounder Calvin Austin, rookies who are more likely to replace veteran backups James Washington (now a Cowboy) and Ray-Ray McCloud (49ers) than to challenge Claypool for the No. 2 spot..
JULY 11, 2022 • ROTOWIRE