If WR Chase Claypool follows Steelers trend, expect slow start, big finish as rookie

JuJu Smith-Schuster was not targeted with a pass during his NFL debut. Diontae Johnson was only on the field for about a third of the offensive snaps during his first pro game.

Antonio Brown? He wasn’t even in uniform for Week 1 of his rookie season.

By the end of each of these Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers respective first seasons, each had blossomed into a big-play threat and was showing signs of potential NFL stardom.

It’s an instructive lesson to look back on when gauging expectations for Chase Claypool, the receiver the Steelers took with their first draft pick in April. If history is any indication, the 6-foot-4, 238-pound Claypool figures to begin the season with a bit role in the Steelers offense. But come the final few games of season, everyone should have an idea of how much Claypool will excel in his NFL career.

“Something that a lot of teams talked about with me was just that combination of size and speed,” Claypool said after the draft. “It allows offenses to do a lot of different things. A lot of coaches were excited about that. I am excited to bring those skills to the table and kind of offer what I have. I think there are a lot of different things any offense can do. I am just kind of excited to see how that all plays out.”

In his first taste of NFL action, Claypool is tentatively ticketed to run primarily out of one of the outside receiver spots, offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner said. With Smith-Schuster, Johnson and James Washington above him on the depth chart, Claypool would need to have a mighty impressive training camp and preseason to be considered the starter at the outside “X” or “Z.”

The Steelers traditionally have kicked off the career of high-profile receivers on the outside — even if they eventually move to the slot or, even better, into a versatile jack-of-all-trades role. That is what happened with Smith-Schuster in 2017 after he was a second-round pick.

But regardless of how the roles shake out, the Steelers would be pleased if Claypool is producing like Smith-Schuster did over the second half of his rookie season.

Smith-Shuster was targeted a 26 times and had 17 catches for 231 yards while playing an average of 63% of the offensive snaps over his first seven games. In his final seven games (he missed two 2017 games because of injury), Smith-Schuster was targeted 53 times, had 41 catches for 686 yards and played an average of 87% of the offensive snaps.

It was a similar story for Johnson as a rookie last season: 40 targets, 26 catches, 299 yards, 302 total snaps played in the first half of the season; 52 targets, 33 catches, 381 yards, 397 snaps played in the second half. Johnson added punt-return duties to his repertoire in Week 9 — and earned second-team All Pro honors for that spot.

A decade ago, Brown dressed for only three of the Steelers’ first nine games his rookie season. But he would have 14 catches over their final five games, and his 58-yard catch was the pivotal play in an AFC divisional round win against Baltimore.

After relatively slow starts to their rookie seasons, Brown and Smith-Schuster began to show they would become Pro Bowl talents. Johnson has that look about him, too.

Claypool’s learning curve potentially could be even more dramatic because of the modified offseason taking place out of coronavirus concerns. With much less on-field offseason work with his teammates, it might be more difficult to master the offense by Week 1.

“I’ve been learning through the resources I’ve been given,” Claypool said last month, “the iPad, stuff like that, and the rookie minicamp.”

Claypool’s trump card could be his physicality, a trait that clearly impressed coach Mike Tomlin. It could manifest itself in abilities on special teams — getting Claypool onto the field more — and could perhaps lead to more trust from the offensive coaching staff to serve in a complementary role.

“Physicality is a brand of ball that we want to play regardless of position,” Tomlin said. “We believe it’s an asset to victory for us, and so when you can get some wideouts that display that trait, that’s exciting — and Claypool, whether he was contributing on special teams or doing things with the ball in his hand or as a blocker, displayed those traits at Notre Dame.”

Hey, Steelers Nation, get the latest news about the Pittsburgh Steelers here.