Steelers add JuJu to 3-ring circus
PITTSBURGH 无毛视频� Worried about Martavis Bryant much?
Perhaps they should be.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, still reeling from a shredding at the hands of Tom Brady and looking at a talented crop of defensive backs in the 2017 draft, instead chose wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster of Southern Cal with their second-round pick on Friday night.
They drafted a cornerback, Cam Sutton of Tennessee, in the third round.
Smith-Schuster is a 6-1 1/2, 215-pounder with 4.54 speed who caught 70 passes last season for 914 yards and 10 touchdowns.
In three full seasons at USC, Smith-Schuster caught 213 passes at 14.5 yards per catch with 25 touchdowns. He won无毛视频檛 turn 21 until November.
无毛视频淚 think he无毛视频檚 the youngest in the draft,无毛视频� said Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley. 无毛视频淎s you know in the last few years we无毛视频檝e had good success with young guys like that that. We feel like we are getting them early enough to really make an impact on their development.
无毛视频淗e is a good-sized receiver. He was very productive out there at USC. He is a really do-it-all guy. He can play inside, outside. If you had to say what he excelled at, I无毛视频檇 say his ability to catch the ball in combative situations, 50/50 balls as we call them, and he usually comes down with them. He无毛视频檚 a really exciting guy and we are excited to get him here to work on.无毛视频�
Haley was asked five questions, with the fifth question on whether Smith-Schuster was insurance in case of a lapse by Bryant, who无毛视频檚 recently returned from a year-long suspension.
Haley responded that, no, it wasn无毛视频檛 about insurance and the interview was abruptly ended.
Bryant, meanwhile, tweeted that (sic) 无毛视频渓ol that无毛视频檚 Sammie coates replacement not minds take it how you want to I am back.无毛视频�
To which Coates replied 无毛视频淗ahahahahaha.无毛视频�
And to which Mike Tomlin replied, 无毛视频淧lay nice boys.无毛视频�
Bryant then deleted his tweet and Coates responded that he will see everyone Monday.
Good thing the interview with the adult was ended, right?
As for Smith-Schuster, he无毛视频檚 talented, young, tough, big-bodied, is difficult to bring down after the catch, but, according to draft analyst Nolan Nawrocki, 无毛视频淗e has some diva in him.无毛视频�
Haven无毛视频檛 we suffered enough?
But Nawrocki did add that, 无毛视频淚t usually comes across constructively. He无毛视频檚 extremely competitive and hates to lose and it gets him in trouble sometimes.无毛视频�
无毛视频淚无毛视频檇 say he无毛视频檚 very competitive and passionate about what he does,无毛视频� Haley said. 无毛视频淭hat shows up in the run game, which is an exciting thing for us. He无毛视频檚 not a guy that无毛视频檚 afraid to stick his nose in there and block safeties and even some linebackers. He plays with a great passion, which is one of the exciting things about him.无毛视频�
Smith-Schuster grew up in Long Beach, California, and reportedly remained close to home to stay near his church. He added the Schuster to his last name at the age of 18 to honor his stepfather. He was asked last night about his unique first name.
无毛视频淕rowing up as a kid, my aunt called me John-John and Joe-Joe, then Choo-Choo. It finally went to JuJu,无毛视频� Smith-Schuster said.
The prospect understands he无毛视频檚 headed to the team for which his Athletic Director at USC, Lynn Swann, helped win four Super Bowls.
无毛视频淗e always gave me advice about staying focused, always staying positive, keep working hard, don无毛视频檛 give up, just keep going strong,无毛视频� Smith-Schuster said. 无毛视频淗e said 无毛视频榃hatever team gets you, it无毛视频檚 going to be special. You just have to keep fighting.无毛视频� He didn无毛视频檛 talk about me going to the Steelers or anything like that. It was just advice about being a good person and keep working hard.无毛视频�
While the Steelers might be worried about Bryant and his propensity for self-destruction, it无毛视频檚 also true their depth chart is very thin behind Bryant and Antonio Brown and the addition of a receiver was necessary in this draft.
Smith-Schuster will also help the new cornerback, Sutton, a 5-11 1/4, 188-pound cover corner who ran a 4.52 40 at the Combine with respectable explosiveness (34 vertical) and agility (6.81 3-cone/4.23 shuffle).
无毛视频淏ig, physical receivers are kind of a trend in the league, and with JuJu Smith-Schuster coming,无毛视频� said Steelers secondary coach Carnell Lake, 无毛视频淚 think that无毛视频檚 really going to help our secondary prepare and get ready to play a more physical type receiver.无毛视频�
Sutton will be a part of the competition. He was a four-year starter at Tennessee who intercepted seven passes and broke up 30 others. He also returned 45 punts (14.6 avg.) but his main job description, from the sounds of things, will be learning the nickel slot.
无毛视频淚 think he无毛视频檚 nickel/corner as opposed to corner/safety,无毛视频� Lake said.
Sutton is knocked by analysts as not being physical in the run game, but Lake likes his man coverage skills and promised the team will add more man coverage to their defensive packages. this season.
无毛视频淗e knows how to cover, he stays close, and that无毛视频檚 something we无毛视频檝e been looking for in the draft,无毛视频� Lake said, before adding, 无毛视频淔or us to be versatile as a defense, we无毛视频檙e going to instill a little more man this year. 无毛视频� We believe that Sutton will help us in that area.无毛视频�