Steelers' Chase Claypool compares Kenny Pickett to Joe Burrow

If nothing else, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool generated plenty of headlines during his recent appearance on the "I Am Athlete" podcast.

Claypool referring to himself as "a top-three receiver" in the NFL has been widely criticized by individuals such as Tim Benz and Mark Madden of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The 23-year-old then admitted he feels as if he "failed" teammate and quarterback Dwayne Haskins, who was tragically killed in an April accident.  

As Myles Simmons noted for Pro Football Talk, Claypool also compared rookie signal-caller and Pittsburgh Panthers product Kenny Pickett to Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Burrow, who guided his club to a Super Bowl appearance this past winter. Claypool explained he believes he and Pickett can eventually build chemistry similar to that which Burrow enjoys with targets such as Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

"[Pickett] looks good. He’s mobile," Claypool remarked. "He’s faster than people think, so that’s going to be new for us. And I think it’s going to create plays. You see so many of Ja’Marr’s plays and Tee’s plays are from Joe leaving the pocket and making plays happen. And you know, we’re young, we’re versatile, we’re dynamic, so he’s going to add to that." 

Such high praise from Claypool seemingly is not guaranteeing Pickett anything as it pertains to the depth chart, and Claypool made sure to add that free-agent acquisition Mitchell Trubisky and career backup Mason Rudolph also flashed mobility in springtime workouts. 

It was reported on Monday that "Trubisky was the most consistent" Pittsburgh quarterback during organized team activities and mandatory minicamp, and also that "Pickett has an uphill battle to unseat (Trubisky) from that top spot." Steelers insider Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette later said during a radio interview that "I think the plan is, and I don’t think there is any question about this unless something would dictate otherwise including injury, I think Mitch Trubisky will go into the regular season as the starter." 

By most accounts, it seems Pickett's mobility may only be seen during preseason games for the upcoming campaign unless Trubisky suffers some sort of physical setback this fall.