Chase Claypool Drafted by Steelers: Pittsburgh's Depth Chart After Round 2

The Pittsburgh Steelers added some depth to their wide receiver room at the 2020 NFL draft Friday. 

Pittsburgh selected Notre Dame's Chase Claypool with the No. 49 overall pick, giving it a potential red-zone threat who played for one of college football's most notable programs. Here's how he slots into the Steelers offense:

QB - Ben Roethlisberger, Mason Rudolph

RB - James Conner, Jaylen Samuels

WR 1 - JuJu Smith-Schuster

WR 2 - Chase Claypool*, Diontae Johnson

WR 3 - James Washington, Deon Cain

TE - Vance McDonald, Eric Ebron

LT - Alejandro Villanueva, Chukwuma Okorafor

LG - Stefen Wisniewski, Christian DiLauro

C - Maurkice Pouncey, J.C. Hassenauer

RG - David DeCastro

RT - Matt Feiler, Zach Banner

Depth chart info provided by Ourlads and Over the Cap.

Claypool arrived at Notre Dame as a highly regarded 4-star prospect and the No. 33 overall receiver in the 2016 recruiting class, per 247Sports' composite rankings, but he didn't turn into a game-changing playmaker until his senior season.

He was largely a nonfactor as a freshman and was solid as a sophomore (402 receiving yards) and junior (639 receiving yards), but it was his final year with the Fighting Irish that surely caught the NFL's attention.

The 6'4" receiver finished the 2019 campaign with 66 catches for 1,037 yards and 13 touchdowns, showcasing the ability to beat defenders on fade routes by high-pointing passes while also turning short catches into big plays by breaking tackles in the open field.

Claypool had four touchdowns during a November win over Navy and scored at least once in each of his final five contests.

Production was not a question coming off such an impressive finish to the season, and Bleacher Report's Matt Miller projected him as a second-round pick in an April mock draft. ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. notably predicted the Notre Dame product would go off the board in the first round in a March mock draft.

His size stands out, but he is a potential nightmare matchup because of his speed as well (4.42 seconds in the 40-yard dash).

 That should help Claypool compete for an immediate role in Pittsburgh's passing game.