A native of Abbottsford, B.C. made headlines on Day One of the NFL Combine and likely earned himself some money as well.
Wide receiver Chase Claypool ran the seventh fastest at his position with an official time of 4.42 seconds, doing so at 6’4 238 pounds. Claypool also recorded 19 reps on the bench, a 40.5 inch vertical jump and a broad jump of 10’6″.
4.43s at 238lbs
Chase Claypool ????pic.twitter.com/jTXPR87sjG
— PFF (@PFF) February 27, 2020
That type of athleticism is a rare commodity, so rare, in fact, that there is only one similar performance in Combine history.
Wide receivers 6'4" and 235 pounds or bigger to run a sub-4.45 at the Combine:
-Calvin Johnson
–@ChaseClaypoolThat's it. That's the list.
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/8avluvm5n0
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) February 28, 2020
Talk about elite company! The former Abbottsford Secondary star was a trending topic on Twitter and has ensured he’ll be one of the most talked about names on draft day.
Chase Claypool at the 2020 NFL Combine
• Bigger than Cameron Wake
• Faster than Odell Beckham Jr.
• Stronger than Jared Allen
• Jumps higher than Julio Jones
• More explosive than Devin Hester@ChaseClaypool @NDFootball pic.twitter.com/4fLbNWInHv
— NFL Research (@NFLResearch) February 28, 2020
Many NFL teams had been pushing a position change from to tight end for the Notre Dame product but his performance seems to have put that to bed.
The big Canadian had an excellent senior season, making 59 catches for 891 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was named the team’s MVP and got an invitation to the Senior Bowl, where he caught a touchdown pass.
Claypool caught 143 passes for 2,013 yards and 18 touchdowns over four seasons with the Fighting Irish. He’ll soon be catching passes in the NFL with the potential of becoming a first-round pick.
