Steelers’ top pick Chase Claypool fought his way up the ladder

Chase Claypool is a young man who has refused to be denied in his life, fighting through a number of obstacles to achieve his dreams.

The youngest in a family of four brothers, a sister and two step brothers, Claypool had to fight for everything he got growing up in Abbotsford, British Columbia, about 10 minutes north of the U.S. border between Seattle and Vancouver.

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Sometimes there wasn't even enough food to go around, especially when you're the youngest. Notice, we didn't say "smallest."

Claypool has never been that. By the time he was in middle school, the now 6-foot-4, 238-pound wide receiver was wearing a big man on campus -- literally.

"I've always been the bigger kid in class or on teams," Claypool said Saturday morning, less than 24 hours after the Steelers made him their pick in the second round of the NFL Draft Friday night.

"My feet were size 15 in grade 7 or 8. I kind of knew I was going to be taller because I was pretty short for size 15 feet at the time. I kind of grew into that."

He also grew up mentally and emotionally early because of adversity he faced. His mother worked in a traveling carnival, so she would be away for long stretches.

Though his mother, Jasmine, provided the support and love she could, he was always around his siblings. But when Claypool was 14, his only sister, Ashley, then 17, committed suicide.

It’s the kind of thing that can cause a youngster to go into a shell. For Claypool, it only fueled his fire.

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