The pride of Abbottsford, B.C. has officially signed his rookie deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“Officially a Pittsburgh Steeler!!!,” Claypool wrote on Twitter along with a picture of him signing the contract. “Blessed beyond belief to be a part of this organization! Time to get to work. #StairwayToSeven”
According to Tom Loy of 247Sports, the deal is four years and worth a reported $6,616,636. It carries a signing bonus of $2,372,100.
Claypool was selected 49th overall in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft by Pittsburgh after a stellar NCAA career at the University of Notre Dame, where he made an immediate impact at receiver coming from a Canadian public high school.
He caught 66 passes for 1,037 yards and 13 touchdowns as a true senior in 2019, but possess an incredible six-foot-four and 238-pound frame that some felt was well suited for a potential position change to tight end.
Claypool made headlines with a phenomenal performance at the NFL combine, running the 40-yard dash in 4.42 seconds. That number has only ever been matched at Claypool’s size by Calvin “Megatron” Johnson.
The high NFL acclaim caused Claypool to go undrafted in the CFL draft, though he has since been added to the B.C. Lions negotiations list. He is currently projected as the fourth receiver on Pittsburgh’s depth chart and should see significant playing time as a matchup nightmare.
Fans can share in Claypool’s career success, as he has received a strong rookie rating in the new edition of the Madden video game set for release in August.
