Pittsburgh Steelers: Predicting JuJu Smith-Schuster’s 2018 Season
JuJu Smith-Schuster is one of the most exciting players on the Pittsburgh Steelers roster. After a stellar rookie campaign and two touchdowns through two preseason games, he is poised for even more in 2018.
One of the JuJu Smith-Schuster burst onto the scene in 2017 becoming a fan favorite on and off the field. During his rookie season, Smith Schuster notched 917 yards on 58 catches with seven touchdowns, breaking rookie records and passing Steelers greats like Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, Antonio Brown and Hines Ward. With the end of Martavis Bryant’s career in Pittsburgh, Smith Schuster should be poised for an even bigger year in 2018.
Although he doesn’t possess elite speed Smith-Schuster has good length at 6’ 2’’ and is a very good route runner. Despite the apparent lack of top-end speed he proved himself to be an effective big-play threat averaging almost 16 yards a catch, more than players like Sammy Watkins, AJ Green and DeSean Jackson. Smith Schuster also became the youngest player ever to eclipse 1000 all-purpose yards.
The team’s receiver room looks a Little different heading into this year after trading away the disgruntled Martavis Bryant. His departure leaves 50 receptions and over 600 yards up for grabs. Many expect this to lead to a major jump for Smith Schuster. I’m not sure that’s the case, however. This off-season Pittsburgh drafted James Washington out of Oklahoma State in the second round. Washington is someone I am very excited about and I expect him to fill in a large portion of the role vacated by Bryant. All improvement in Smith-Schuster’s numbers I expect to be a byproduct of his own improvement and more physical maturity.
After only playing in 14 games last year, participating in a few more contests will also lead to numerical improvement. I expect him to clear 70 receptions although I don’t see his yards per catch average staying where it is. Somewhere close to 15 yards a catch seems more likely. It’s also hard to predict a leap in touchdowns even though I expect him to be a fantastic red zone target. Guys like Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell are always going to be huge factors near the goal line. As long as they’re around there will always be a cap on the TDs scored by the rest of the team.
Predicted Stat Line:
Receptions: 74
Yards: 1117
Touchdowns: 8
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If JuJu can reach these totals it will be easy to feel very good about the Steelers offense. I am very optimistic about his production and believe, if healthy, he is one of the top number two receivers in the NFL.