Ranking Steelers most efficient wide receivers so far in 2020
By Tommy Jaggi
2. JuJu Smith-Schuster
What a difference one year and a new quarterback makes. After suffering through nagging injuries for much of the 2019 season and dealing with low-quality targets Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges, JuJu Smith-Schuster is officially back, and he has the efficiency numbers to prove it.
While his yards per target (50th) and yards per reception (93rd) are still on the lower side, JuJu has been incredibly good at reeling in passes his direction this year. According to Player Profiler, Smith-Schuster is 5th in the league in catch rate, 1st in true catch rate (total receptions divided by total catchable targets), and 6th in production premium (a formula that calculates production based on opportunities).
JuJu isn’t a better athlete than he was before, but contrary to last year, anything within range of him is being caught and he has worked remarkably hard to extend for first downs this year. If JuJu continues to impress like this, he’s going to be in line for a massive payday after the 2020 season. Unfortunately, the better he plays, the less likely the Steelers will be able to find the money to offer him after this year.