Pittsburgh Steelers: Juju Smith-Schuster makes a strength stronger
The Pittsburgh Steelers made eight selections in the 2017 NFL Draft. So what will second-round choice JuJu Smith-Schuster bring to the club?
There’s All-Pro Antonio Brown, speedy Sammie Coates, big-play performer Martavis Bryant and 2016 rookie standout Eli Rogers. So it’s hard to believe that the Pittsburgh Steelers need more help at the wide receiver spot.
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But the good teams in the NFL add strength to strength, hence the team’s decision to use a second-round choice pick on USC wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster. A former first-round projection, his stock slipped throughout the process due to his Combine measurables not being elite. Regardless, he was a highly productive college player with a bright NFL future.
After being selected with the 62nd overall pick by the Steelers, here’s what Smith-Schuster had to say, via Teresa Varley of Steelers.com:
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"“It’s a blessing. You have your whole family behind you and your supporters. Your name finally gets called by a team that you didn’t expect a call from. When I finally got the call, it was unbelievable. It really meant a lot, because I didn’t get called earlier. When you have family behind you and they’re waiting and waiting and you finally get the call, I was speechless.”"
Shortly, Smith-Schuster will have to let his play do some talking. In his three seasons with the Trojans, he racks up a total of 213 receptions, good for 3,092 yards and 25 touchdowns. He totaled 10 scores in each of his last two season at Southern Cal. There is that eye-opening in 2015, hauling in 89 passes for 1,454 yards and the aforementioned 10 touchdowns.
Learning from the likes of Brown and catching passes from veteran signal-caller Ben Roethlisberger is a nice way to start an NFL career. The Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the most dangerous and productive aerial attacks in the league. Smith-Schuster could get a chance to make an early impact, especially if Bryant takes a little time to get reacquainted with Big Ben (after being suspended for all of 2016) and Coates continues to have some problems with drops.
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In any case, the defending AFC North champions have had a lot of success finding wideouts in recent years. Smith-Schuster could be the latest example of the Steelers hitting a home run when it comes to this position.