The Facts: Claypool made an appearance on the latest episode of the I Am Athlete podcast and told hosts Brandon Marshall, LeSean McCoy, and Adam “Pacman” Jones just how confident he is in his ability. “I’m going to say, my second year, I was a better player than I was my first year,” Claypool said. “The plays just didn’t work out, right? Some of the plays just didn’t go my way. I didn’t make some plays I need to make. But as a football player, understanding the game, knowing what to do, knowing where to be, I was better. So I’m going to be better this year. “And just like you said, understanding I’m not normal — I feel that way when I’m on the field. I know for a fact I am not like the rest of the guys in the NFL. I know I’m a top-five receiver. I know I’m a top-three receiver.”

Diehards Line: Claypool has displayed plenty of ability in his first two seasons. He caught 62 passes for 873 yards with nine touchdowns as a rookie. But he only had a pair of TDs in 2021, catching 59 passes for 860 yards. After Claypool made his lofty statement, McCoy wanted to hear numbers -- what kind of stats does Claypool anticipate having in 2022? The receiver said 1,300 yards and 10-plus touchdowns. As PFT suggests, that could be difficult to do with either Mitchell Trubisky, rookie Kenny Pickett, or Mason Rudolph as his quarterback in the coming season. But if Claypool isn’t confident in himself, who will be?