Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith Schuster is off to a much faster start to his career than Antonio Brown. Here’s what he has already accomplished.
Though the way Antonio Brown left Pittsburgh will never sit well with Steelers fans, it’s not hard to look back and remember all of his accomplishments.
Brown was a 7-time Pro Bowl receiver who at one point earned 4 consecutive All-Pro selections. He averaged around 1,500 yards over a five year span, and was considered one of the very best wide receivers in the game during that stretch.
Still, with all of Antonio Browns accomplishments as a Steeler, JuJu Smith-Schuster is still outpacing the future Hall of Fame receiver in some areas.
According to a recent tweet from Pro Football Focus, JuJu was the highest rated player on the Steelers offense this season:
Antonio Brown had an elite run in Pittsburgh from 2011-2017! #FBF pic.twitter.com/kTjXcL8PIl
— PFF (@PFF) July 5, 2019
Antonio Brown’s season ratings pop off the page here – finishing as the highest rated Steeler in 6 of 7 seasons from 2011 to 2017. However, it’s interesting to note that JuJu Smith-Schuster was the highest rated player this season.
At just 22 years old, JuJu earned this achievement at a younger age than Antonio Brown. But that’s not all JuJu has done to outpace his former All-Pro teammate.
In his first two NFL seasons, JuJu has 169 catches for 2,343 yards and 14 touchdowns. Brown didn’t eclipse any of these marks until his 4th NFL season at the age of 25.
Statistically, JuJu is years ahead of Antonio Brown. At the same time, it will be very difficult to maintain a 1,500 yard pace like Brown was able to do over a five year stretch in Pittsburgh.
Brown also had the luxury of playing with a Hall of Fame quarterback for his entire career so far, and played through Ben Roethlisberger’s prime years. JuJu will have to go through a quarterback transition in a few years when Big Ben hangs up his cleats, and could see a dip in his production.
As much as fans want it to happen, it’s still very unlikely that JuJu Smith-Schuster could end up becoming a more prolific receiver than Antonio Brown. However, it is interesting to note that he is on one of the best paces in production we have seen for a receiver in his first two seasons in recent years. If trend continues, we could be in for a treat.