CLAYPOOL INSPIRES MEMORIES OF MEGATRON
Canadian quiets ‘tight end chatter’ at NFL Combine
You know Chase Claypool had a spectacular NFL Scouting Combine when the only other wide receiver as big as him to ever post similar speed and athleticism numbers was Megatron.
Yeah, that Megatron — former Detroit Lions great Calvin Johnson.
Claypool ought to be invigorated by his combine week, which ended Friday, even if the Abbotsford, B.C., native’s impressive showings in speed, power and athleticism drills Thursday night didn’t put to bed all that talk about him maybe needing to switch from wide receiver to tight end in the NFL.
Claypool entered this week viewed as a third- or fourthround pick, but might have nailed down a minimum thirdround selection in the April 23-25 draft with what he did here.
Or higher.
The 6-foot-4 Claypool weighed in Monday at 238 pounds, about eight pounds above his typical playing weight, he said, due to “super-hydrating” just prior to his arrival. He emerged as a standout wide receiver at Notre Dame by last fall, his senior season, leading the Irish in catches, receiving yards and TD grabs.
Claypool’s critics say because he typically struggles to gain separation from defensive backs — and also because he’s a feisty, physical competitor who loves to block on run plays and even lay the wood on special teams — he might be more likely to succeed in the pros as a tight end.
Several NFL teams officially requested that those who run the combine have Claypool work out as a tight end, too. But he didn’t do that.
And why would he? Among the 55 wide receivers invited here, Claypool’s 40.5 inches in the vertical jump ranked fourth best. His 19 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press was fifth best. His 10 feet, five inches in the broad jump tied for 10th. And, his blistering official time of 4.42 seconds in the 40-yard dash was seventh fastest.
Indeed, the only other receiver in combine history who has stood at least 6-foot-4 tall, weighed at least 235 pounds and who ran the 40 in less than 4.45 seconds was Megatron, who upon leaving Georgia Tech in 2007 — at 235 pounds — ripped off a 4.35 40.
“Can we stop the tight end chatter?” Dane Brugler of Theathletic.com, one of the top talent evaluators in the business, wrote about Claypool on Friday.
“He was blazing on the track … also jumping well. He fought the ball a little bit in the gauntlet drill, but he tracked it well over his shoulder and had an above average (positional) workout.
“With his unique skill set, the special teams coach for the team that drafts him will be begging to make him a regular on coverages, taking advantage of his speed and toughness. Claypool was expected to test well and he didn’t disappoint, cementing his status as a Top 75 pick in this draft class.”
The 75th pick is the 11th selection of Round 3.
Profootballfocus.com’s Anthony Treash rated Claypool among his post-combine wideout risers, even if he was less praiseworthy than Brugler in summing up Claypool’s positive and negatives.
“NFL teams wanted Chase Claypool to work out as a tight end, and he might very well still be changing his position when taken in the draft in April,” Treash wrote. “If he does switch, he’d be arguably the most athletic tight end in the draft.
“His inability to separate and succeed in contested situations will make him an intriguing Darren Waller-type weapon on offence.”
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
Ottawa born and raised defensive tackle Neville Gallimore, a standout captain at Oklahoma the past few seasons graded as either a late first-round or early second-round draft selection, works out at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday night with other D-linemen and linebackers.
NFL Network has live coverage from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. EST. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah continues to predict that the 6-foot-2, 304-pound Gallimore is going to blow people away with his on-field positional workout, his athleticism and his speed.
The combine concludes
Sunday with cornerbacks and safeties working out on the field from 2-7 p.m. EST. Everybody’s top cornerback prospect, Jeff Okudah of Ohio State, told reporters Friday he’ll partake in everything.