polamalubeast
05-22-2019, 02:22 PM
When JuJu Smith-Schuster joined the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2017, he was the youngest player in the NFL and trailed Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant on the depth chart.
When Smith-Schuster stepped onto the fields at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex this week for the start of organized team activities, he still was the youngest wide receiver on the roster. But at just 22 years old, he entered as the unquestioned leader of his position group.
Is he ready for the responsibility?
“You’d have to ask him,” quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. “But I think he is.”
So does Smith-Schuster, whose 30 games played with the Steelers are tied with Eli Rogers for the most among receivers on the 91-man roster.
“With the experience I’ve had at this point, age is just a number,” Smith-Schuster said Wednesday. “I’ve played enough games under my belt that I’ll be able to take on this. It’s another challenge I have to deal with.”
The messy divorced that led to Antonio Brown getting traded to the Oakland Raiders – one year after Bryant was dealt to the same destination – elevated Smith-Schuster to the top of the pecking order among Roethlisberger targets.
Smith-Schuster showed in his second season that he can carry the torch. Smith-Schuster was named the Steelers MVP, as voted on by his teammates, and was selected to the Pro Bowl. He led the Steelers with 111 catches for 1,426 yards.
read more
https://triblive.com/sports/smith-schuster-ready-to-lead-young-group-of-steelers-receivers/
When Smith-Schuster stepped onto the fields at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex this week for the start of organized team activities, he still was the youngest wide receiver on the roster. But at just 22 years old, he entered as the unquestioned leader of his position group.
Is he ready for the responsibility?
“You’d have to ask him,” quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. “But I think he is.”
So does Smith-Schuster, whose 30 games played with the Steelers are tied with Eli Rogers for the most among receivers on the 91-man roster.
“With the experience I’ve had at this point, age is just a number,” Smith-Schuster said Wednesday. “I’ve played enough games under my belt that I’ll be able to take on this. It’s another challenge I have to deal with.”
The messy divorced that led to Antonio Brown getting traded to the Oakland Raiders – one year after Bryant was dealt to the same destination – elevated Smith-Schuster to the top of the pecking order among Roethlisberger targets.
Smith-Schuster showed in his second season that he can carry the torch. Smith-Schuster was named the Steelers MVP, as voted on by his teammates, and was selected to the Pro Bowl. He led the Steelers with 111 catches for 1,426 yards.
read more
https://triblive.com/sports/smith-schuster-ready-to-lead-young-group-of-steelers-receivers/