2018 was truly a breakout year for Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. After a strong rookie campaign, Smith-Schuster blew up last season leading the Steelers in both receptions and receiving yards. He now becomes the focal point of the Steelers passing offense and has an opportunity to ascend to elite status in 2019.
NFL writer Dan Hanzus has been doing his Superstar Club since 2015 and for his latest iteration he subbed out Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green with Smith-Schuster.
Like I wrote above, a superstar isn’t all about production. Charisma counts, too. And JuJu checks both boxes. Very few wide receivers approach what Smith-Schuster accomplished in his first two seasons, and he now slides into Big Dog status with the Antonio Brown circus setting up shop in Grudenland. Look for JuJu to put up Brown-like production in 2019, minus the headaches. The craziest part? Smith-Schuster doesn’t even turn 23 until late November. He is the bridge from the Big Ben era to whatever comes next in Pittsburgh.
The NFL has a current crop of top wide receivers never seen before in the league. Smith-Schuster should top 100 catches again this season but still might not make a dent in the conversation for best receiver in the league.
