Patriots’ Bill Belichick gives high praise to Steelers receiver

It is not unusual for Bill Belichick to praise a member of an opponent’s team, but the Patriots head coach doesn’t always compare a player to a future Hall of Famer unless he truly believes it.

When speaking to the media on Friday ahead of their trip to Pittsburgh, Belichick spoke highly of Steelers third-year receiver, Chase Claypool and gave him the ultimate compliment comparing him to Patriots great, Rob Gronkowski.

"“Big, fast, really good hands. Big catch radius. He’s kind of always open. It’s like covering a guy like Gronkowski — no matter where you are on him, there’s a place where he can reach and get the ball that you can’t reach and get the ball. I know they use him in a variety of ways — down the field, catch-and-run plays, hand him the ball, things like that."

At 6-foot-4 and 238 pounds, the physical similarities Belichick sees between the receiver and his former tight end are clear as day. As an oversized yet athletic receiver, Claypool has already established himself as a key piece of the Steelers’ offense since joining the team in 2020.

He would have a breakout season as a rookie, playing in all 16 games and totaling 62 receptions for 873 yards and nine touchdowns, but wouldn’t have quite the same production in year two. However, as one of the leaders of their current offense, along with Diontae Johnson, Claypool is poised to (possibly) repeat his first-year numbers.

Although only one game has been played, Claypool has shown versatility at his position, especially in last week’s matchup with their division rival, the Bengals. He contributed in the passing game and also on the ground, leading all receivers with six carries out the backfield.

Claypool’s skillset creates a more difficult task for the Patriots’ defense to go up against this week. Belichick would go on to mention that versatility and how Claypool’s physicality makes him a tough player to defend.

"“He’s a big, physical player, can block, block at the point of attack, run. Hard guy to tackle. Downfield receiver as well as a short and intermediate receiver. He can get you a lot of different ways. Tough matchup.”"

Despite receiving such high praise from the best head coach to ever do it, Claypool isn’t looking too much into Belichick’s words.

"“It’s definitely cool, but you need to have your hazards on when coaches are talking about you like that. He is probably spending some extra time on you in practice. It’ll be a good challenge this week because I know if he’s saying that to the media, he’s probably game planning for it.”"

He’s certainly not wrong with his assessment. It’s likely true that the team has spent time watching Claypool’s film and developing ways to limit him as much as possible. And knowing how Belichick can be, it’s also possible there were underlying intentions with his compliments just two days before their game.

Hearing what Belichick had to say and knowing Claypool is on a cheaper contract, but also a free agent in 2024, could we see him in a Patriots uniform some day? We’ve seen this in the past with how much Belichick gushed over Hunter Henry and eventually made that happen. Could Claypool be next?