Chase Claypool obviously impressed Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert and head coach Mike Tomlin. The Steelers liked what they saw from Claypool enough to use their first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft — 49th overall — to bring him to Pittsburgh, and the scouting report was the same from all involved: Yeah, he's a huge, fast receiver, but he's also an intelligent, high-character guy off the field.
The Steelers made it clear they valued both attributes from Claypool.
"Chase Claypool, University of Notre Dame," Colbert began during a conference call after Day 2 of the draft. "Sharp young man. Great size. Great speed. He’s got great competitiveness."
See how "sharp young man" came before the on-field qualities? With Claypool, you can't separate the two.
Speaking on a separate conference call, Brian Kelly, Claypool's coach at Notre Dame, echoed those sentiments:
"I think it’s when he came to practice every day and started to practice in a manner that would prepare him to be a great player is when we really saw a difference in him," Kelly said of Claypool. "That then carried over to the classroom. And it carried on in the community and how he handled himself, so maturity and all those things started to kick in as well. And that’s just the maturation process that you see in every program.”
Now, Claypool's flexing some of that character on Instagram. In a recent post, Claypool showed some love to his parents, first his mom (it was Mother's Day Sunday, after all), then his dad, in the form of two brand new cars!
Enjoy the slideshow:
Personally, I like that Claypool had them bring their old rides to the photoshoot, too. That's a nice touch. Now, mom can kick that Sunbird to the curb and enjoy her new Jeep, while dad can post up in his Ram (if he ever gets back to his feet).
It's a small gesture for a pro athlete, sure, but it falls right in line with everything we've heard about Claypool since the Steelers selected him April 24. Not a bad start for the rookie.
To continue reading, log into your account:
