Notre Dame Football: Which former Irish pass-catcher will have the best NFL season?

Notre Dame football put two pass-catchers into the NFL, but which of the two will have the best rookie season in his new home?

Notre Dame football alumni Chase Claypool and Cole Kmet found their new homes in the second round of the NFL Draft. Claypool, the 6-foot-4 receiver found his way to the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 11th pick of the second round, while the tight end Kmet found his way to the Chicago Bears 6 picks later.

Both are on to the next acts of their careers after making the most of their time at Notre Dame. Both have tremendous upside in their respective offenses. Both have the physical tools to be a nightmare for NFL defenses. But which will be more productive in the NFL in 2020 (assuming, of course, that both remain healthy)?

Kmet landing with the Bears is a feel-good story for the Chicago native. Exactly where Kmet fits in the Chicago roster remains to be seen.

The Bears, famously, are carrying “eight million” tight ends, as ESPN’s Mike Tannenbaum estimated after Kmet was selected. Of course, the Bears won’t carry all of them as the season moves forward and Kmet will be at the forefront of what the Bears want to do at the position.

Still, the Bears are certainly prioritizing being deep at the position, as is the trend in the current climate of the NFL. With questions at the quarterback position, it is reasonable to conclude that, even if Kmet personally has a productive year, that production may not show up in the stats.

Claypool, however, might just be reaching the peak of his powers, and it wouldn’t be surprising if his numbers were close to his stats at Notre Dame.

The Steelers are welcoming back a supposedly-healthy Ben Roethlisberger, making that position at least as stable as the quarterback situation in Chicago. While Juju Smith-Schuster will be the go-to receiver in Pittsburgh, it’s reasonable to expect Claypool to be able to get in mix in the next tier of receivers.

But perhaps most importantly, Claypool is a different type of receiver than his counterparts Diontae Johnson, James Washington, and Ryan Switzer, who are all of a smaller build. The Steelers drafted Claypool to diversify their receiving corp. In short, they have a plan for how to utilize Claypool’s specific talents.

While both Irish pass-catchers undoubtedly have productive NFL careers ahead of them, it will be Claypool who is able to hit the ground running in his professional career.