"ur the 3rd best Wr on ur team maybe" - NFL fans roast Chase Claypool for claiming he's a top-3 WR
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool is not a man short on confidence. In an off-season where he has witnessed many of his contemporaries become appreciably richer, he has now expressed his clear thoughts on how he compares to them.
Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams, and A.J. Brown have all signed mammoth contracts, and signs suggest there is more to come. DK Metcalf, Deebo Samuel, and others are also eligible for lucrative extensions, as they all stake a claim at being the league's premier wideout.
Not wanting to be excluded, the Pittsburgh Steelers WR had this to say on a recent episode of the I Am Athlete podcast:
"I know for a fact I am not like the rest of the guys in the NFL. I know I'm a top-five receiver. I know I'm a top-three receiver."
Needless to say, NFL fans have been quick to provide feedback via Twitter. One user humbled the wideout, suggesting he might be the third best receiver on his own team:
@PFF My brother in Christ ur the 3rd best Wr on ur team maybe..
While one fan hammered back and provided a list of players that he believed were better:
@PFF WRs better than his bumass
Davante Adams
Kupp
Deebo
Chase
Cooper
Higgins
Diontae
Diggs
Hill
Waddle
Cooks
Pittman
AJ Brown
Sutton
Renfrow
Allen
Williams
Mooney
JJ
Thielin
Lamb
Mclaurin
Mike Thomas
Godwin
Evans
D Hop
Allen Robinson
DK
Lockett
He continued:
@PFF WRs that might be better or could become better
Bateman
Odell
Julio
Juju
Gabriel Davis
Eli Moore
Garrett Wilson
Corey Davis
Burks
Jeudy
Aman Ra St Brown
Toney
Gallup
Kirk
London
Some mocked him by referencing the game against the Vikings, where he celebrated at the wrong time:
@PFF Top-3 at celebrations at the worst possible time
https://t.co/pawkkXLcez
Though some are supportive of the young WR, they remain realistic about the situation:
@PFF exaggerating but dude doesn't even stay on his feet after catching the ball. just falls down. has all the potential in the world, though. He just ain't shown that much of it.
Is Claypool the best receiver on his own team?
Based on last season, it would be hard to argue that Diontae Johnson wasn't the number one wideout on the Steelers roster. Johnson had 107 receptions to Claypool's 59, illustrating how QB Ben Roethlisberger preferred Johnson over the third-year Notre Dame product.
However, there might be an explanation to back Chase Claypool in this situation. Johnson took more snaps in the slot with Claypool on the outside, and Roethlisberger had considerably lost his deep ball accuracy last season. Additionally, Pittsburgh had a shambolic O-line that also afforded Big Ben little opportunity to go deep.
As a result, Johnson was the second most targeted player in the entire league, only second to Cooper Kupp. Johnson was also on the field for 84.2% of the time compared to the third-year product's 70%. With that said, it's easy to understand the large imbalance in targets.
There are also those that feel Johnson would be better on the outside, with Claypool in the slot. Key changes like these might come in handy since this will possibly be a make-or-break season for the Notre Dame alumni. With Kenny Pickett likely under centre, the third-year pro might have extended trouble having to catch passes from an inexperienced QB.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit I Am Athlete and H/T Sportskeeda.