‘Do-it-all guy’ JuJu Smith-Schuster, the Steelers’ second-round pick, can catch, block, fight for balls and play hurt, bringing to mind Hines Ward
Take it from a former Southern California receiver who became a Super Bowl legend and Hall of Fame member, the Steelers will love JuJu Smith-Schuster.
“He’s a different kind of receiver than what the Steelers already have in their lineup,” said Lynn Swann, who is in his 13th month as USC’s athletic director. “He can play physical. He’ll go up and fight for the ball. In addition to A.B., he’ll be that other receiver who can go down the field and get the ball.”
Smith-Schuster might not be a Swann-like receiver, but he reminds several Pac-12 Conference coaches of another former Steelers receiver — Hines Ward.
At 6 feet 2, 215 pounds, he has been compared to Anquan Boldin because of his size and ability to catch balls in traffic. But he plays with a Ward-like demeanor, which means he can block as well as he can catch.
“He’s very competitive and passionate about what he does,” Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley said. “He’s not a guy that’s afraid to stick his nose in there and block safeties and even some linebackers. He plays with a great passion, which is one of the exciting things about him.”
The Steelers have drafted only one other receiver from USC since Swann —– Calvin Sweeney on the fourth round in 1979. The only other Trojans player to be drafted in the first round by the Steelers since Swann was safety Troy Polamalu in 2003.
“I’ve had a number of people from New York to California to Pittsburgh asking me about him, ‘Did we get a good guy? Did we get a good player?’ I think we did,” Swann said. “I spoke to him this morning and I essentially told him he’s going to enjoy Pittsburgh, he’s going to enjoy the people of Pittsburgh. It’s a great organization to play for. He can thrive if he’s having success on the field. He can have even more success off the field in Pittsburgh.”
Despite having what seems to be an annual supply of talent at the position, USC has not had a wide receiver make the Pro Bowl since Keyshawn Johnson, who was drafted in 1996. Smith-Schuster, who won’t be 21 until Nov. 22, wasn’t even born then. He is the youngest player in the draft.
“In the last few years we’ve had good success with young guys like that,” Haley said. “We feel like we are getting them early enough to really make an impact on their development.
“He is a really do-it-all guy. He can play inside, outside. If you had to say what he excelled at, I’d say his ability to catch the ball in combative situations, 50/50 balls as we call them, and he usually comes down with them.”
Even though the Steelers didn’t have a pressing need at wide receiver, they took Smith-Schuster in the second round because he had the highest grade of any player still on their board. It was a classic example of taking the best player available.
If people were surprised at the selection, so was SmithSchuster, who never spoke with the Steelers after his 15minute meeting with them at the NFL Scouting Combine. Steelers assistant coach Dan Rooney III spoke with Swann about Smith-Schuster during USC’s pro day, but there was never any serious discussion about the Steelers drafting him.
“He always gave me advice about staying focused, always staying positive, keep working hard, don’t give up, just keep going strong,” Smith-Schuster said of Swann. “He said whatever team gets you, it’s going to be special. You just have to keep fighting. He didn’t talk about me going to the Steelers or anything like that. It was just advice about being a good person and keep working hard.”
Smith-Schuster had Steelers influence all around him at USC. His offensive coordinator and receivers coach was Tee Martin, a former Steelers quarterback who was a fifth-round draft choice in 2000
JuJu has been putting up numbers — and knocking over defensive backs — since he had 123 receiving yards in his first game against Fresno State in 2014, the best debut by a USC freshman receiver in school history. In three seasons with the Trojans, he had 213 receptions, fourth on the school’s all-time list, for 3,092 yards and 25 touchdowns.
But toughness is his merit badge. Two years ago, after a bone below his ring finger was broken in an October game against California, it appeared the injury would sideline him for the rest of the season. But when team doctors told him he could surgically have a plate and screw implanted to stabilize his hand and allow him to play the following week, SmithSchuster didn’t hesitate.
Fitted with a custom cast, he not only played against Arizona, he had eight catches for 138 yards, including a 72yard touchdown in a 38-30 victory. His coach, Clay Helton, who had called the possibility of Smith-Schuster playing “absurd,” called him “Superman” after the game.
Smith-Schuster played through injuries in 2016, but still totaled 70 catches for 914 yards and 10 touchdowns. In the Trojans’ 52-49 comeback victory against Penn State in the Rose Bowl, he had 7 catches for 133 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown.
“He was like a real warrior, just every game, doing what he could, drawing double coverage, keeping everything going,” Swann said. “He was a real leader on the football team, keeping people up and inspired, being able to take the team to the Rose Bowl.”