Overview
Position: Receiver
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 238 pounds
School: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Combine Performance Data
40-Yard dash: 4.42 seconds
Vertical jump: 40.5 inches
Broad jump: 10 feet, 6 inches
Chase Claypool 2020 NFL Draft Profile
Claypool was born in Abbotsford, British Colombia, Canada, where he would later attend Abbotsford Senior Secondary School. While he was there, he broke many school receiving records. Unfortunately, he got limited attention. However, he was able to counteract that by posting his impressive highlights on Facebook, which caught the attention of recruiters. According to 247 Sports, he was the 33rd overall receiver in his class. He got interest from many schools, including but not limited to Michigan, Nebraska, Oregon, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Tennessee.
After committing to Notre Dame, he had limited playing time as a freshman. He gradually improved, as his receiving yards by season jumped from 81 to 402 to 639. Those are solid numbers, but he wouldn’t truly break out until his final year in college. In his senior year, he hauled in 66 passes for 1,037 yards and 13 touchdowns. Additionally, he received an 82.3 receiving grade from Pro Football Focus, who also gave him an incredible 94.3 grade on deep passes. He showed a lot of promise and has now put himself on the radar of NFL franchises in search of a young receiver.
Strengths
- Incredible size and speed combo;
- Fantastic catch radius and ability to adjust to inaccurate passe;
- Strong statistical production;
- Strong after the catch;
- Good potential versatility – could become a tight end if things do not work at receiver;
- Impressive head/shoulder fakes;
Weaknesses
- Struggles to quickly build up speed;
- Poor agility;
- Allows cornerbacks to stay within his frame on developing routes;
- Questionable hands; dropped seven passes last year;
- Possibly inexperienced; only started seeing consistent snaps as a junior;
NFL Comparison: Darren Waller
Teams With Need at Position: Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, New York Jets, Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, Washington Redskins, Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers, Indianapolis Colts, Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles
Projection: second to third round
Bottom Line
In a loaded draft class for wide receivers, Claypool has been placed on the media’s metaphorical backburner. Although he is not necessarily a boom or bust type guy, he does contain some of that element. If Claypool can work on his agility in a way that he can surpass replacement level in that regard, he could be a legitimate number two receiver. His ceiling is pretty high.
On the other hand, he could easily fail as an NFL receiver. If that happens, there is another route to NFL success for Claypool. With his incredible size and catch radius, a bit of bulking up could turn him into an elite tight end, similar to Darren Waller. At the end of the day, he should be a valuable asset either way. While he does not have the most potential in the world, his ceiling should be high enough to attract NFL front offices. Despite his flawed skillset, he should be selected around the second or third round in the coming draft. Teams will always need receivers, and Claypool could be just what the doctor ordered.
