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Pittsburgh Steelers Draft Recap: Grades and Analysis

By Matt DiLascio

Apr 27, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell during the first round the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 27, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell during the first round the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Round 2, Pick 62: JuJu Smith-Schuster – Wide Receiver, USC

Jan 2, 2017; Pasadena, CA, USA; USC Trojans wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (9) makes an incomplete pass against Penn State Nittany Lions cornerback John Reid (29) during the fourth quarter of the 2017 Rose Bowl game at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2017; Pasadena, CA, USA; USC Trojans wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (9) makes an incomplete pass against Penn State Nittany Lions cornerback John Reid (29) during the fourth quarter of the 2017 Rose Bowl game at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /

John “JuJu” Smith-Schuster enters a very deep wide receiver room in Pittsburgh. However, he brings incredible physicality to the position that will allow him to find the field early on in his career. Skeptical? Please see below.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Mike Mayock of NFL Network has compared Smith-Schuster to Mike Williams, the uber-talented Clemson receiver who was drafted seventh overall by the Los Angeles Chargers.

At 6’1″, 215 lbs, one of the biggest knocks on Smith-Schuster is his lack of explosiveness. He was clocked at 4.54 in the 40-yard dash so he has speed – it’s just a matter of translating his speed towards more consistent and explosive routes. The kid is only 20 years old, he has plenty of time to learn.

“Yeah, but…”

The reason this draft grade isn’t higher is because there were arguably bigger position needs that could have been addressed. Some will call this a luxury pick. It could be argued that someone like Fabian Moreau, Duke Riley or even Larry Ogunjobi would have made more sense to a team with a prolific offense and a defense with more questions than answers.

However, the thought of an offense featuring Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell, Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant and JuJu Smith-Schuster all on the field at the same time is nothing short of exciting. Hopefully Martavis can stay on the field, but if he can’t this pick makes all the more sense.

Full draft profile here.

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