JuJu Smith-Schuster was a bright-eyed 20-year-old when he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers. As a rookie, he had a luxury that not many first-year guys get — the luxury of learning the craft from one of the best in the league in Antonio Brown.
The roles reversed in 2020 when Chase Claypool was drafted. Smith-Schuster had all the experience and Claypool was learning from him.
“When he got drafted, I hit him up like, “Yo, bro! Super stoked to have you on the team,” Smith-Schuster told Michael Irvin in a recent Michael Irvin Podcast.
Smith-Schuster described Claypool as a JuJu 2.0. “He’s like a little version of me because he’s doing the whole marketing thing, he’s doing YouTube, everything that he can.”
Listening to JuJu talk about Chase — he sounds like a dad talking about his son. But the two are only just over two years apart.
“[Chase] is such a cool kid,” said Smith-Schuster. “He has a great personality.”
“On the field, he works out, he goes hard every day. He’s a big dude. He’s always putting work in. He has a bright future ahead of him. His rookie year, 10 touchdowns, and still has more to grow.”
Smith-Schuster went on to add that Claypool lives right above him and, on occasion, Chase will go to JuJu’s for dinner and hang out.
It’s always good to see wide receivers bonding. The relationship forms on-field chemistry that otherwise might not be there.
