Notre Dame: Chase Claypool can boost NFL Draft stock vs. Virginia
By J.P. Scott
The No. 1 receiver for Notre Dame has a chance to turn the heads of some NFL scouts on Saturday.
There are games within every game in college football. When Virginia takes on Notre Dame this Saturday, there will be a very interesting game taking place on the edge.
Notre Dame receiver Chase Claypool — Ian Book’s favorite target so far this season — is going to draw frequent matchups with Virginia cornerback Bryce Hall. That’s a huge opportunity for Claypool in terms of his NFL aspirations.
Claypool already has all of the measurables in terms of size, speed and the ability to catch the football. Now, the matchup with Hall — one of the top cornerback prospects in the country — gives him a chance to prove he can win one-on-one battles against NFL-caliber talents.
As it stands, Claypool is probably a mid-to-late round draft pick. He will help himself at the combine when he posts impressive workout numbers, but again, NFL brass already know what kind of an athlete he is.
Saturday provides him with an early opportunity to show what kind of wide receiver he can be at the next level.
Already a rare talent, Claypool doesn’t fit the mold of a traditional big-bodied No. 1 receiver — and that’s a good thing. NFL offenses are transitioning to schemes that feature multiple, smaller receivers who can run quick underneath routes and gain yards after the catch on screens. Claypool can do those things, and he excels as a blocker.
If he is able to frequently display the ability to do those things against a talent like Bryce Hall, that’s going to be a highlight-reel tape shown over and over again during draft season and leading up to the event itself.
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For better or worse, the Virginia tape will be one of the first games analyzed when scouts start breaking down Claypool’s skill set. Suffice to say, as important as the Virginia game is to the 2019 Notre Dame football team and its goals, the matchup also potentially has millions of dollars riding on it for Chase Claypool.