There was a lot of excitement around the Pittsburgh Steelers fanbase when they took Chase Claypool with the 49th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft. And even though he wasn’t ranked among the top wide receivers in his class, it was clear that he was pretty special.
The Notre Dame product has a privileged body that often gives him a huge advantage over his defender and it hasn’t taken him long before he established as the undisputed number one option on the team.
JuJu Smith-Schuster still continues to draw more attention from defenses but it’s been Claypool the one who’s done the most damage this season, helping the team on their way to an 11-1 record.
Chase Claypool Leads NFL In Defensive Pass Interference
Thus far, Claypool has amassed 47 receptions for 649 yards (54.1 yards per game, 13.8 yards per reception), with 8 touchdowns. Moreover, he’s added 9 rushes for 22 yards and a couple of scores on the ground.
But if leading the team in touchdowns isn’t enough, Steelersdepot.com also pointed out that he’s actually leading the NFL in defensive pass interference calls with 8, and he’s also the leader in total yards resulting from those calls.
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Throughout the first twelve games of his career, the 6’4”, 238-pound rookie has given his team an extra 185 yards via defensive pass interference calls, often helping the struggling Steelers’ offense be in a position to succeed.
Chase Claypool is just built differently. He’s bigger, stronger, faster, and more athletic than most receivers and defenders in the league, thus it’s not unusual to think that he’ll be among the leaders in this regard for many years to come.
Some people still doubt the Steelers’ ability to go the distance and make it to the Super Bowl and that’s fair considering how they’ve performed lately. But if there’s a bright spot in their offense, that’s definitely their 22-year-old rookie.
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