NFL Scouting Report: WR Chase Claypool

Once upon a time there were questions about what kind of player Chase Claypool would be at Notre Dame. Would he stay on offense? Would he be better developing into a defensive end? These questions didn’t linger very long once he made it to campus. However, shortly before the NFL Combine there was talk that Claypool should maybe think about tight end at the next level.

Once the Canadian eviscerated his testing in Indianapolis it’s safe to say he’s all wide receiver once again.

SPECS

Name: Chase Claypool
Position: WR
Height: 6-4 (per the Combine)
Weight: 238 (per the Combine)
Hometown: Abbotsford, BC

STATS

BIO:

Claypool was a small footnote to the dismal 2016 season as a true freshman, although he did impress with 11 of his 25 career tackles coming via special teams. As a sophomore he made some strides but was largely limited to a big day against Wake Forest in which he accumulated nearly 45% of his yardage for the season versus the Demon Deacons.

As a junior, Claypool didn’t necessarily break out as much as he found consistency, making at least 3 catches in 10 out of 13 games. Heading into this senior season, Claypool was tasked with becoming the legitimate No. 1 option at receiver and he flourished in that role. He tied the single-game school record for touchdown catches (4) against Navy and joined Will Fuller, TJ Jones, and Michael Floyd as the only receivers to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards in a season during the Brian Kelly era.

STRENGTHS:

As witnessed at the Combine, elite size and athleticism combination. At times, Claypool can be a devastating blocker. Very adept at changing his body position in the air and making difficult catches. Works the sidelines really well with good footwork and spatial awareness. Excellent hands. Tough to bring down in the open field due to his power and penchant for fighting for extra yardage.

WEAKNESSES:

Needs to work on being more elusive in the open field. Testing numbers were off the chart but that athleticism wasn’t always on display at Notre Dame. Didn’t pull away from defenders very often and will need to develop into more of a premier target and not a possession-type receiver. Not viewed as a natural pass-catcher.

OVERVIEW:

On the one hand, Claypool going in the 1st round seems utterly crazy. That’s a move everyone has laughed at the Raiders and Lions making in years past. Especially in this loaded draft, taking Claypool that early based largely on his testing does not seem prudent.

How much should he be compared to former teammate Miles Boykin who surprised at the Combine then went late in the 3rd round to Baltimore last year?

They have the same height, hand size, and 40-time. Boykin has 1-inch longer arms, a 3-inch higher vertical, and 14-inch further broad jump. Claypool weighs 18 pounds more and did 7 more reps on the bench press.

I do feel like Claypool’s ceiling is much higher at the NFL level and coming out of college he had fewer weaknesses than Boykin. This should translate to a higher draft position yet I still think 1st round is out of the question.

PREDICTION:

2nd Round, 56th Overall to the Miami Dolphins

Over the last 5 NFL Drafts an average of nearly 8 wideouts are selected within the first 2 rounds. Since this is supposed to be a historic wide receiver class we could see this number jump up to 11 or 12 gone by the start of the third round.

It’s highly unlikely Claypool goes ahead of any of Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb, Henry Ruggs, Justin Jefferson, and Tee Higgins who are all projected to go in or around the 1st round in nearly every mock draft. But, Claypool did improve his stock enough that he’s now in the conversation with the tier two receivers including: Brandon Aiyuk, Jalen Reagor, Laviska Shenault, K.J. Hamler, Donovan Peoples-Jones, and Denzel Mims.

We’ll see how the roll of the dice works out as franchises likely feel like they can get tremendous value at wideout in the 3rd or 4th round this year. I think Claypool is probably somewhere in the middle of that second tier now and would be a great fit in a rebuilding Miami where this is their 5th pick of the draft and second selection in the 2nd round.

More scouting reports to come:

Alohi Gilman
Jalen Elliott
Julian Okwara
Khalid Kareem
Jamir Jones