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Abbotsford’s Chase Claypool selected by Pittsburgh Steelers in 2nd round of 2020 NFL draft

Canadian receiver starred at Notre Dame
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Notre Dame wide receiver Chase Claypool makes a catch in the endzone for a touchdown during the Camping World Bowl NCAA college football game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019, in Orlando, Fla. Claypool was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft on Friday, April 24. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ AP/Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel via AP

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Canadian receiver Chase Claypool in the second round of the NFL draft Friday night.

Claypool was the 17th player taken in the round, 49th overall.

Claypool, a six-foot-four, 238-pound native of Abbotsford was Notre Dame’s leading receiver in 2019 with 66 catches for 1,037 yards and 13 TDs. He registered 150 career receptions for 2,159 yards and 19 touchdowns.

He joins an offence in search of another playmaker following an eventful 2019 when the Steelers finished 8-8 after losing quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to a right elbow injury at halftime of Week 2.

READ MORE: Bengals tab QB Burrow with 1st overall pick in 2020 NFL draft

Roethlisberger, who turned 38 last month, is on schedule for a full recovery from surgery. Claypool gives Pittsburgh a big target on the outside to complement JuJu Smith-Schuster. This is the third time in four years the Steelers have used their second-round selection on a wide receiver. They took Smith-Schuster in 2017 and James Washington in 2018.

Pittsburgh’s passing game struggled in 2019 with Roethlisberger sidelined. The Steelers finished 28th in yards passing and 28th in touchdown passes while bouncing between Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges. Diontae Johnson led the team with 59 receptions as a rookie and no player caught more than five touchdowns.

Claypool averaged 15.7 yards per reception last year for Notre Dame and ran a 4.42 40-yard dash in the run-up to the draft.

THE CANADIAN PRESS

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