Chase "Create a Player" Claypool.
Just wanted to call out , dammmmn this boy is big. Like when you get a video game and create your player to be giant.
That's all.
I'm happy were 1-0!
Chase "Create a Player" Claypool.
Just wanted to call out , dammmmn this boy is big. Like when you get a video game and create your player to be giant.
That's all.
I'm happy were 1-0!
He really impressed me with that toe tap. That was a veteran play by a rookie without even preseason NFL action. He surely looked like he belonged.
Primus is going to special.
As Joe Haden said - Claypool is going to be a problem (for the opposing teams)
Looking forward to seeing how Claypool progresses each week.
Look good but Johnson will be the star. WR core in all looked good.
Where are all the fans that wanted to convert him to TE?? Wondering their thoughts now?
He's got the tools, that's for sure. Hopefully he doesn't have AB's brain.
Not a chance. Did you see how he took the handoff, got the corner and the yardage for the first down, then slid to the turf to seal the game? That's a rookie doing that.
He's very smart. He's mature. He has a natural understanding of the game and the situations within it, and is willing to strive to excel at all aspects of the game.
He's a football player that is willing to do whatever it takes to win, whether he gets the ball or not. No diva in him to this point, and that's what got him here.
These are the types of players that coaches dream about.
That was my biggest takeaway for Claypool from this game. The sideline catch was awesome. But there are actually a pretty good # of guys in the league that can do that. But to be running with open grass late in the game BUT realize that giving yourself up is better than risking being pushed out of bounds? Too few veterans, let alone rookies, can recognize that on the fly.
Snell also did a good job of turning a run back inside along the boundary on the last drive.
Almost like the team is well coached in the fundamentals and game management...but we all know that isn't true.
They probably didnt drill it into his head to stay in bounds.
Its a first down, with a 10 point lead and 50 seconds left in the game, while the opposing team has no timeouts left. There isnt really a difference if he steps out of bounds and the team goes into victory formation a couple times, or if he hook slides like he did. Most likely something he has seen or done in college that just made sense as the time. All it means is they get to the locker room a couple minutes earlier.
Great Body control by Claypool with the sideline catch, We have a great receiving core, just in time for Ben's return. Looking forward to the matchup with the Ravens.
Each one of the receivers had some great a-ha moments last night, even while DJ was having arguably his worst game as a pro. With DJ, Ju-Ju, JW, and Claypool - this is as talented a group of wideouts from 1 through 4 that I can remember the team fielding. Then you add in Vance and Ebron as receivers ... and holy crap, who do you cover?
This receiving corp is going to make DCs around the league start losing sleep on a regular basis.
Like mentioned above by many that was one heck of a catch and, throw. What a way to make your first catch in prime-time! Looking forward what this young man can do from here.
I was half kidding, I hope we never draft someone that dumb again (talent wise yes, brain wise, no), although I really do think AB has an undiagnosed bipolar issue.
I even said to my son, WOW that's a rookie sliding to keep the clock running. The other piece of that is he was smart enough to realize if the Giants punch the ball out and run it back then it's a 3 point game!
Yep. Exactly.
Some guys just get the mental part of the game instinctively. They make fewer mistakes and they have a better understanding of what helps the team win with situational football plays. When you play the game without ego, it's only about making the right play and doing your job to help your teammates and, ultimately, your team succeed.
Watch his effort when blocking as well.
I hope he never changes his attitude. I doubt he will, because guys like him are usually just built that way. It's who they are.
I remember watching an Eagles/Cowboys game back in 2007 and the Eagles had a small lead with the clock running out and Brian Westbrook broke a long run and was about to score a TD and just went down at the 1 yard line instead to end the game. I was like, wow what a smart unselfish move.
I Googled the play and the story behind it is like what 86Ward said about teammates putting it in his head. It's a good read:
https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=3158572
LOL hysterical Fantasy take on that 2007 play!
If he has a few more games like the first two he needs to be taken off ST. He has too much talent to risk getting rolled up on. That said I like how he's "earning" his NFL respect.
It's just insane how a kid with this much talent fell to round 2, he might have been raw but the combination of his size/speed hasn't been seen since Megatron
I think Claypool played closer to or heavier than 240 lbs at Notre Dame. His tape looks like he is slow to accelerate and his route running of getting in and out of breaks as that size wasnt really impressive.
He Showed up to the Senior Bowl week at 229 lbs and I think that lighter weight he was quicker to get in and out of breaks against defenders and get off the LOS. So most scouts are going to trust what they saw on tape in season, compared to 4 days of practice in Mobile Alabama at an all star week and then bet on the almighty "upside". Second round makes sense.
I think he compares to a big guy like Vincent Jackson, but think he has better hands and at lighter weight, he runs the short routes better. He might end up having the skillset of a Herman Moore of the Lions was. 6'4", good hands and tracks the ball really well in 50-50 situations, while good enough feet to run 1-5 in the route tree, but the long speed to run the 9.
I agree with everything you said, but I also don't believe the Steelers were looking for a great route runner necessarily. They already have Juju and Dionte who are great at that. Washington isn't bad either. What they were lacking was someone who could stretch the field and make the 9 route a consistent threat. When you're putting together an offense you're not looking for 3 or 4 guys who all have similar skillsets. That had a lot to do with our offensive struggles last year, IMO.
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That would be a group of physical freaks. Juju's stiff arm on that DB last week makes me believe he would probably be the best RB on this team if he didn't play WR.
Nobody spends a 2nd round pick on a guy that cant run intermediate routes and only runs a 4.42. If you have that guy and he runs a 4.3, then maybe.
The notion that the Steelers were looking for just a vertical threat, on a team that Mike Tomlin has touted "position flexibility" during his entire tenure as Steelers HC is a rather myopic view, IMO.
With Claypool, I think the Steelers were figuring they end up with one of 4 results:
1. A monster sized WR that can just bully teams deep and become essentially un-coverable in 1 on 1 situations along the boundary. Call this the "Mike Evans 2.0 Option".
2. A bully of a WR that can just push DBs around all over the field to create catchs. Call this "Marquese Colston Reborn option".
3. Not only is this dude big, but he is a master of his craft as well. Call this the "Larry Fitzgerald but Bigger Option".
4. Calvin Johnson 2.0. Un-guardable. Always open. Never drops anything even in triple coverage. Call this the "Dare to Dream Option".
Now, any of those outcomes with a competent QB is pretty attractive to a team. They just have to avoid all the other size-speed comps I could have pulled that never impacted in the NFL and no one besides individual fan bases angry over a specific draft pick remember. Call these the Jon Baldwin or Cody Lattimer or Kevin White options.
It feels like we got another first round pick after trading our first round pick for Minkah. This kid could up being as good as any other receiver in his draft class. I already like him more than Ruggs who seems like John Ross 2.0. A Fast and fragile decoy.
Claypool is a football player first. A WR second. I love those.