Steelers Rookie Chase Claypool Learning as He Goes

Chase Claypool’s burst onto the scene as an NFL rookie has been a dramatic one, as the Steelers second-round pick is the AFC Offensive Player of the Week and the highest-scoring receiver in the entire 2020 NFL Draft class after his four-touchdown performance against the Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday.

But Claypool has already made a career of being an under-the-radar kind of player.

When he was first getting recruited coming out of Western Canada, he didn’t know that much about American college football. When a Notre Dame recruiter called him for the first time, he didn’t know anything about the historic midwestern school.

He’d never even seen Rudy, only deciding to download the film for the flight to take his official visit.

#HereWeGo WR @ChaseClaypool didn't know @NDFootball history before he went there and you won't believe where he watched @richeisen favorite movie #Rudy for the first time: pic.twitter.com/3GRPd2jMSV

— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) October 14, 2020

Claypool learned and the Irish learned that the unheralded prospect with subpar knowledge of Division I football programs certainly belonged at the level. He was a four-star prospect coming to Notre Dame and had to wait his turn, playing special teams for most of his first two years in South Bend.

But when he got his chance to shine as a senior, he exploded for over 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns.

It doesn’t seem like he’ll have to wait nearly as long to make an impact at the NFL level, but that doesn’t mean that he’s any more well-versed in the annals of Steelers history.

Asked about the team’s rivalry with the Cleveland Browns on Wednesday, Claypool said he’d “have to watch a 30 for 30 or something” to brush up on the history of the game.