One of the biggest questions on the Steelers offseason was whether JuJu Smith-Schuster could be a true No. 1 NFL receiver. His 25 receptions for 340 yards and two touchdowns don't support the narrative that he can be a top threat, as he's ranked 45th in receiving yards, behind the Chargers' Mike Williams.
But box scores and raw stats don't tell the whole story of what's been going on with Smith-Schuster. Let's take a closer look at why his numbers are down:
One reason Smith-Schuster's numbers are down is a lack of targets. He's been targeted just 38 times, an average of 6.3 times per game. That's the 59th most in the NFL, behind players like Curtis Samuel, Nelson Agholor and Auden Tate.
It's also way off the pace he was on last year when he had 63 through six games. Is it the result of having no Antonio Brown to attract attention away from Smith-Schuster, or not having Ben Roethlisberger to run the Steelers' offense?
The answer leans more towards not having Roethlisberger. Particularly because Smith-Schuster has been open plenty of times and not targeted for a variety of reasons. Any time a young NFL quarterback makes his first starts in the NFL, he's bound to not see the field and make several mistakes.
That's happened a lot with Mason Rudolph.
I broke this play down weeks ago on classroom dedicated to Rudolph's vision, but it still applies to Smith-Schuster. The 49ers tricked Rudolph with a fake blitz from one side into throwing into the coverage, and he missed open opportunities to both Vance McDonald and Smith-Schuster.
Richard Sherman is covering Smith-Schuster at the top of the formation below, and had he been targeted, Rudolph would've had his top receiver for an easy third down conversion:
Smith-Schuster has attracted extra attention from defenses. Teams across the board have placed safeties overtop of Smith-Schuster and key in on his routes. Though that has resulted in plays where he's blanketed, it's provided opportunities for other players.
Let's look back to Rudolph's touchdown pass to Diontae Johnson and how the Bengals' secondary bit on Smith-Schuster's route, leaving Johnson open.
There was a communication breakdown from the cornerbacks, but what's noticeable is how hard safety Jesse Bates III bit on Smith-Schuster's deep cross. That left nobody on Johnson for the easy touchdown:
But receivers can't realistically be that open regularly. There's a big difference between open in the NFL and open in NCAA football. Johnson was obviously open in the above play, but Rudolph needs to be able to target receivers who are only open by a step or two.
Smith-Schuster has often been the latter when it comes to being open. He won't be open by five or six yards, but neither was Antonio Brown. That means when he does get open, he needs to be targeted.
When Rudolph was desperate for a big play agains the 49ers, he fired a pass to Smith-Schuster where he only had a step in separation. The result was the Steelers' longest touchdown of the season:
Those are the kind of opportunities Smith-Schuster creates. He still runs sharp routes that challenge cornerbacks with precise footwork to sell different opportunities. Watch how he breaks down the Chargers' Casey Hayward, an all-pro cornerback and a guy that regularly gives fits to superstar wide receivers.
Smith-Schuster uses a stutter step with a quick burst to blow past Hayward, but Devlin Hodges is short on the pass and he can't adjust to it after breaking to be open down the sidelines:
Smith-Schuster is not Brown, but he is a talented receiver that can be a top threat in the NFL, if given the opportunity. He's also the Steelers' best receiver and still the youngest one on the roster. If Rudolph gets back on track and improves, Smith-Schuster could see his targets increase along with his chances for big plays.
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