Steelers receiver Chase Claypool tried to manifest being one of the league’s top-three receivers with his comments on the I Am Athlete podcast.
But he also had some comments about the team’s new rookie quarterback in No. 20 overall pick Kenny Pickett.
With co-host LeSean McCoy effusively praising Pickett, saying he didn’t see a difference between Pickett and Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Claypool noted the positives he’s seen from the young QB during the offseason program. And Claypool has noticed qualities that can create plays like Burrow does with his wideouts Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
“[Pickett] looks good. He’s mobile,” Claypool said. “He’s faster than people think, so that’s going to be new for us. And I think it’s going to create plays. You see so many of Ja’Marr’s plays and Tee’s plays are from Joe leaving the pocket and making plays happen. And you know, we’re young, we’re versatile, we’re dynamic, so he’s going to add to that.”
Claypool added that Mitchell Trubisky and Mason Rudolph also have displayed mobility, so those qualities should be in play no matter who the starting quarterback is.
Whether or not Pickett begins the 2022 season as Pittsburgh’s QB1, he’s likely to take over that position sooner than later. And if Claypool is going to reach those lofty numbers he predicted, Pickett is going to play a significant part in it.