What Drafting Chase Claypool Means For Steelers in 2020 and Beyond
The dust has finally settled on the 2020 NFL Draft.
The Pittsburgh Steelers were a wild card heading into the draft, with little information available as to who might end up in black and gold. Up until commissioner Roger Goodell announced the 49th overall pick, the unpredictability held true.
That unpredictability maintained through the next six rounds, as many Steelers mock drafts (mine included) had donuts on the scoreboard when Pittsburgh finished picking.
The Steelers historically address needs through the draft, and while free-agents such as Eric Ebron and Derek Watt are expected to make an impact come day one, 2020 proved no different. It wasn't a "sexy" draft by any means, but Pittsburgh went in with one goal: Address depth at positions that needed it.
Quite frankly, a wide receiver wasn't exactly on top of the "needs" list for 2020. A trio of JuJu Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson and James Washington is better than the league average, and Deon Cain showed promise in the little action he saw.
However, with top running back and defensive talent still on the board at 49, general manager Kevin Colbert and company opted for Notre Dame's Chase Claypool, a big framed (6-4, 238 lbs) receiver with explosiveness and the ability to come down with the ball 9/10 times. Claypool also tested extremely well at the NFL Combine, most notably posting a 4.4 40 yard dash time.
The Claypool pick offers a few suggestions about the Steelers, on and off the field.
With Claypool's size and excelled play on the boundary during his time at Notre Dame, we are likely to see Smith-Schuster shift back to slot receiver duties. Smith-Schuster struggled due to a number of factors in 2019, one of those being the amount of coverage/attention shown towards him. Not only does Smith-Schuster excel in the slot, it also offers him better match-ups to continue to win one-on-one battles when it matters.
While Johnson's role will likely remain unaffected, the question about Washington's role in 2020 is worth conversation. The Steelers run three receiver sets on about 70% of plays, one of the league's leaders in that category. The introduction of Claypool could potentially add more four receiver sets to offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner's playbook as well.
Trends will continue though, as Pittsburgh will still utilize three receiver sets as their main offensive set. With Smith-Schuster and Johnson's roles/playing time essentially cemented, it now becomes a question of who the odd man out will be: Washington or Claypool?
The early answer will be easy, as head coach Mike Tomlin typically defaults to experience early on. We saw Devin Bush eased into his eventual starting role, and Claypool will likely be no different.
However, this pick doesn't bode well for Washington, whose own development hasn't quite lived up to the short-term success of his fellow receivers. Sure, Washington's only had two seasons to develop, one of those without Roethlisberger. However, the pick of Claypool isn't exactly a vote of confidence in favor of Washington.
Overall, the pick was about adding more talent for Roethlisberger and company to work with. Yet the effects of Claypool's pick extends beyond the gridiron.
This isn't suggesting this is Smith-Schuster's last season in Pittsburgh. However, the NFL is a business for both player and organization. Should Smith-Schuster rebound in 2020 like expected, his price will (as expected) be driven up.
However, the Steelers are an organization that drafts extraordinarily well at the wide receiver position, and with key defensive pieces to pay after this season (Dupree, Watt, perhaps Heyward, Hilton or Fitzpatrick as well), even an average rookie season by Claypool could set a low figure for the Steelers in negotiations.
Smith-Schuster will be 24 and an unrestricted free agent following this season. Keeping a player such as Smith-Schuster is ideal in a perfect world, but decisions will need to be made. The franchise tag is a potential option Pittsburgh could use to keep Smith-Schuster around another season, but at the end of the day it's unlikely Smith-Schuster will want to miss out on maximizing his finances to stay.
With a trio of Washington/Johnson/Claypool and the ability to find new talent via free agency or the NFL Draft, retaining Smith-Schuster for big money isn't exactly enticing for Pittsburgh's front office.
Drafting Claypool looks to pay dividends in multiple facets. Claypool looks to relieve pressure off his fellow receivers by playing outside the numbers and providing another valuable red zone target for Roethlisberger. While he shares comparable measurements to Calvin Johnson, Steelers fans shouldn't expect Claypool to dominate at such levels like Megatron once did.
Should Mapletron (Yes, Claypool is Canadian and yes, that nickname is awesome) display the tools that made the Steelers fall in love with him through the draft process, Pittsburgh's offense will elevate to new levels while also preparing for a potentially huge departure following the 2020 season.
