UPDATED: Steelers pick Notre Dame's Chase Claypool with first 2020 draft pick
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Notre Dame wide receiver Chase Claypool with the 49th overall selection in the NFL Draft.
The 6-foot-4, 237 pound Claypool had 66 catches for 1,037 yards and 13 touchdowns this past season . He has 150 catches and 19 touchdowns in his college career.
According to NFL.com, Claypool grew up in British Columbia, Canada. He actually had more special teams tackles (eight) than receptions (five catches, 81 yards, 16.2 average) in 12 games as a true freshman. He started eight of 12 games played for Notre Dame in 2017 (29 receptions, 402 yards, 13.9 average, two touchdowns) before lining up full-time with the starters as a junior (50 receptions, 639 yards, 12.8 average, four touchdowns in 13 games, 12 starts). Claypool had 13 starts during the 2019 season, and was the team's leading receiver, grabbing 66 passes for 1,037 yards (15.7 per) and 13 touchdowns, which ranked in the top 10 nationally.
With Claypool, the Steelers gave quarterback Ben Roethlisberger another big target. Roethlisberger, who turned 38 last month, is on schedule for a full recovery from surgery.
Claypool gives Pittsburgh a big target on the outside to complement JuJu Smith-Schuster. This is the third time in four years the Steelers have used their second-round selection on a wide receiver. They took Smith-Schuster in 2017 and James Washington in 2018.
Pittsburgh's passing game struggled in 2019 with Roethlisberger sidelined. The Steelers finished 28th in yards passing and 28th in touchdown passes while bouncing between Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges. Diontae Johnson led the team with 59 receptions as a rookie and no player caught more than five touchdowns.
Claypool averaged 15.7 yards per reception last year for Notre Dame and ran a 4.42 40-yard dash in the run-up to the draft.
The Steelers will likely look for help at running back or linebacker during the third round of the draft.
The Associated Press contributed to this story. Make sure to check back with the Eagle's website Saturday morning for a full breakdown of Friday night's draft.
