4 draft prospects who could be the next JuJu-Smith-Schuster for Steelers

Shi Smith, South Carolina

Here’s a player who could fill JuJu Smith-Schuster’s role, but do so in a way that is slightly different. At 5’10” and 186 pounds, Shi Smith has a very different body type than JuJu, but he could be a dominant slot option nonetheless (think a discounted version of Sterling Shepard).

Smith never really had an amazing stat line at South Carolina, but that’s mainly because the team hardly ever threw the ball. Despite never earning more than 673 yards in a single season in college, Smith accounted for 46.6 percent of the Gamecocks’ passing offense (92nd percentile), and his 28.8 percent target share was one of the best in the nation.

Shi Smith doesn’t have the same level of physicality that JuJu possesses, but he might already be a better route runner and he’s a very smooth mover after the catch. He could quickly become a go-to safety blanket for Ben Roethlisberger (or whoever the next quarterback will be). The best thing about Smith is that the Steelers could potentially get him at a bargain, as he could possibly make it to the fourth round of the NFL Draft.