Justin K. Aller/Getty Images Chase Claypool of the Pittsburgh Steelers catches a 35-yard touchdown pass against the Philadelphia Eagles on October 11, 2020.
Pittsburgh Steelers rookie wide receiver Chase Claypool isn’t just a rising star in the NFL. He’s also adept at handling social media. On Sunday—after he scored four touchdowns as part of a record-setting performance in a 38-29 win over the Philadelphia Eagles—the former second-round pick took to Twitter to post a meme, featuring his face photoshopped onto a picture of Tampa Bay Bucs quarterback Tom Brady holding up four fingers.
Of course, it’s a reference to the curious mistake Brady made this past Thursday night, when the 43-year-old quarterback had what one writer described as a “senior moment,” appearing to forget what down it was during the end of his team’s loss 20-19 loss to the Chicago Bears.
For the most part, Steelers fans loved the image, which Claypool took care to credit to its creator.
Steelers Reddit user Zachdabarber wrote: “I think Chase just became my favorite Steeler of all time with this post.”
Meanwhile, Twitter user Yoshi replied: “THAT’S MY ROOKIE OF THE YEAR.”
Even fans of rival teams seemed to appreciate the meme, with Twitter user Sir Yacht replying, “Browns fan but I’m following you now. This is legendary.”
Naturally, not every reply to the tweet expressed favorable feedback.
Rob Reid, a Pittsburgher, or so it seems, replied, “These things are so cringe. What would Jack Lambert say about this?”
Chase Claypool’s Social Media
Yet the occasional critic no doubt won’t dissuade Claypool from trying to make the most of social media. On Sunday afternoon his Twitter account featured a picture of him standing on the field with Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger. The caption read: “7/11 … always open.”
7/11 … always open.
His social media efforts aren’t limited to Twitter, either. In the spring, he posted a video of himself gifting his father a new truck for Father’s Day. And in August he revealed how he had gifted his mother a new car as well.
At the moment, he’s also trying to develop a YouTube channel, which as of this writing has just over 39,000 subscribers. Last but not least, he has a web site where he’s selling Mapletron merchandise (at teamclaypool.com). Mapletron is his nickname, a reference to the combination of his Canadian heritage and the physical comparisons to former Detroit Lions star Calvin Johnson, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft and possessed comparable size and speed.
It’s all heady stuff for a wide receiver who lasted until the middle of the second round (#49 overall) in the 2020 NFL Draft and had ten receivers picked before him. He was even slighted by Madden, which started him off with an overall rating of 70, tied for 11th among this year’s rookie wide receivers.
Now many fans and NFL observers are coming around to the idea that Claypool would be a great draft pick, even though few people believed he would have this much success this soon.
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