The 2020 NFL Draft will be a great event for teams to start building for their future. Here is the Chase Claypool 2020 NFL Draft profile.

Background

Position: Wide Receiver

Size: 6-foot-4, 238 pounds

Class: Senior

2019 stats: 66 receptions, 1,037 receiving yards, 13 touchdowns, 15.7 yards per catch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G61EOiu0ao8

Claypool was one of the best recruits to ever come out of Canada and didn’t disappoint in his college career. His four seasons at Notre Dame helped Claypool become one of the many talented wide receivers in the 2020 NFL Draft class.

As a freshman, Claypool saw action as a reserve receiver and on special teams. He saw more regular action as a sophomore and finished the season with 29 receptions for 402 yards and two touchdowns. The Fighting Irish won 10 games including the Citrus Bowl in 2017. In 2018, Claypool registered 50 receptions for 639 yards and four touchdowns. Notre Dame had an undefeated regular season, but lost in the College Football Playoff to Clemson. For his senior season, he had 66 receptions for 1,037 yards and 13 touchdowns as the Irish won 11 games, including the Camping World Bowl.

After his senior season, Claypool performed well at the NFL Combine to help his draft stock. He is currently projected to be a second or third-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Strengths

Claypool is a huge receiver. He stands at 6-foot-4 and 238 pounds, which is excellent for a wide receiver. There were rumors that teams even wanted to move him to tight end during the NFL Combine. Smaller corners have a very tough time matching up with him due to his size, physicality and big catch radius.

For his size, Claypool has great athleticism. He displayed this at the NFL Combine with his 4.42 40-yard dash and 40.5-inch vertical leap. Corners that are smaller than him still struggle to keep up with him. His athleticism also extends his catch radius. He is able to go up for 50-50 balls and come down with them a decent amount of the time.

His blocking is among the best in the class for the wide receiver position. He has solid technique, which helps him sustain blocks. Claypool’s size and strength helps him to block with force and for longevity. Teams wanting to move him to tight end wouldn’t have entertained the conversation very long if Claypool didn’t show great blocking.

Weaknesses

Claypool’s route-running needs to improve at the next level. He lacks quickness getting in and out of his breaks, which allows defenders to stick with him in man coverage. One of the biggest questions for Claypool is his ability to separate. Improved route-running will help him separate more. He will also need to run more routes in the pros.

His straight-line speed is solid, but his ability to accelerate and change direction are below par. This, along with the route-running, doesn’t give him a lot of separation. This also makes it harder for him to pick up yards after the catch. In college, he was able to make tough catches with defenders near him, but he may not be able to do that in the NFL.

The best bet for Claypool to pick up big yardage is on jump balls, because he doesn’t run well after the catch. He lacks elusiveness and isn’t hard to bring down despite his size. Teams won’t want to use him on short passes that count on him running after the catch, but rather will only want to use him to catch balls downfield.

Projected Draft Range: Second Round Pick-Third Round Pick

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