"He’s top 3 in celebrating a 1st down in a 2:00 drill that wastes time" - NFL fans react to Steelers' Chase Claypool claiming to be among best WRs in league

By Ian Van Roy

Modified Jun 21, 2022 23:42 GMT

Chase Claypool looks on from the sidelines

Chase Claypool, like most professional athletes, has built a career by beating expectations. Since their teenage years, most have had to prove classmates, teammates, and coaches wrong at one point or another. After the Steelers wide receiver's latest comments, it is clear he has his work cut out for him.

According to Sports Illustrated via Caesar's Sportsbook and Trey Wingo, the wide receiver said he sees himself as one of the top-three in the NFL. This, of course, prompted a severe backlash from the NFL community, with many refuting and laughing at the wide receiver's claim. Here's a snapshot of what people are saying online, starting with Wingo.

A potential Steelers follower believes the quarterback is the one holding Claypool back. In her mind, if the wide receiver had a chance to play with one of the modern greats, he would have a decent shot.

One reply to Trey Wingo took it a step further, saying he was just one of the three-best pass catchers for the Steelers.

An NFL follower backed Claypool's mindset, challenging Trey Wingo's rebuttle. In their mind, low confidence leads to low quality of play. Even if the wide receiver truly doesn't believe his ranking deep down, it prepares him to be the best he can be.

Another NFL follower gave a sarcastic, whitty retort that brought the Steelers' new quarterback into it.

Chase Claypool's career

The wide receiver has labelled himself a top-three wide out, but how well has he truly done in the NFL? Claypool is entering his third year in the NFL. He was originally drafted in 2020 by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was taken with the 49th overall pick in the second round, and expectations were high.

While some saw him as the successor to Antonio Brown, others saw Claypool as one of the two candidates to become the true replacement for the wide receiver. The other being Juju Smith-Schuster who is now with the Kansas City Chiefs.

In 2020, the wide receiver jumped off the screen in terms of rookie production, earning 62 catches for 873 yards and nine touchdowns. However, his sophomore season saw a relative step back for the wide receiver. In 2021, he had 59 receptions for 860 yards and two touchdowns.

Now, with year three on the horizon and in the wake of a disappointing second season, the wide receiver has his work cut out for him.

About the author

Ian brings with him more than 6.5 years of sports writing experience to the Sportskeeda NFL team. He played offensive line in middle school and high school, and also made it to the top 0% matchmaking ranking in MUT play in Madden.

He possesses the quality of identifying unique story angles from quotes in press conferences, social media and interviews. He assimilates facts for his stories with a lawyer-like precision and verifies each and every piece of information.

Ian admires Peyton Manning for his ability to beat teams with his mind despite not being the best athlete, and is also a fan of Tom Brady. The Denver Broncos are his favorite team, and their Super Bowl 50 win in Manning’s last game is etched in his memory forever. Bill Belichick is his all-time favorite coach.

He has also grown to admire the Los Angeles Rams mainly because he and Cooper Kupp went to the same college, Eastern Washington University, with both finishing their college careers at the same time.

In his career so far, Ian has had the privilege of exclusively interviewing Los Angeles Rams General Manager Les Snead, Kwity Paye of the Indianpolis Colts and Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jamari Thrash. When not writing, he likes to play video games and be outdoors.

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