Back in February when I wrote that JuJu Smith-Schuster was more than ready to be the Steelers' No. 1 receiver, it was because of his big plays against tight coverage. Replacing Antonio Brown's production sounds impossible when he just came off the six best consecutive seasons of any receiver in NFL history.
But Smith-Schuster didn't get his 1,426 yards on 111 catches just by luck. He worked to sharpen his release and route tree to maximize his opportunities as defenses focused their attention on Brown. Even when he got the attention of elite cornerbacks, he was a tough assignment.
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