Former NFL scout evaluates JuJu Smith-Schuster

[RS12]

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JuJu Smith-Schuster enters 2016 as one of the best wide receivers in college football. Former NFL scout Daniel Jeremiah already has an eye on him as a pro prospect, and on Tuesday he published his breakdown of the Trojans playmaker. Jeremiah loves what he sees in Smith-Schuster but also highlights a few areas for improvement.

Here's what he likes about Smith Schuster:

Smith-Schuster plays wide receiver with a defender's mentality. He has a thick, muscular build. He plays with strength and aggression. He uses his upper-body strength to power through press coverage and knows how to wall off defenders down the field. He flashes the ability to make special catches and he tracks the ball naturally. He is very adept at stacking defenders once he gets by them, allowing the quarterback a lot of room to place the ball. He is a hands-catcher, rarely allowing the ball to get into his body. After the catch, he is very physical and difficult to get on the ground. While he lacks elite speed, he has a powerful stride and he can produce big plays on a consistent basis. He takes pride in his blocking and is a big asset in the running game.
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Where he thinks Smith-Schuster can improve:

He needs to be more efficient at the top of his routes. He is very natural on runaway vertical routes -- go routes, post routes, deep-over routes ... However, he's not efficient with his footwork at the break point when he's working back downhill. If he can sink his hips and doesn't get too high entering into the break point, he'll improve this area of his game. Drops were an issue for him in the games I studied. He has strong hands but his concentration can wane at times.

http://usc.247sports.com/Bolt/Former-NFL-scout-evaluates-JuJu-Smith-Schuster-45909858​

 

[Hoofbite]

Well that's an interesting name.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

I'm a big Schuster fan; body type wise, he's the closest thing you'll get to a Dez clone.

 

[Howboutdemcowboys31]

I'm a big Schuster fan; body type wise, he's the closest thing you'll get to a Dez clone.

Even more than Treadwell?

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

Even more than Treadwell?

Treadwell plays a physical brand of football similar to Dez. That said, I never got the comparison beyond that; Treadwell is nowhere near the explosive athlete Dez is and the numbers from the Combine reflected that. The player Treadwell reminds me of is Michael Floyd of the Cardinals.

 

[rockj7]

I'm a big Schuster fan; body type wise, he's the closest thing you'll get to a Dez clone.

I'm a USC hommer and I say this with complete conviction he is better route runner than Dez coming out and is a good character kind of kid. We pair Dez Ju Ju and Zek Lord have mercy Goodnight Irene and Ju Ju catches the ball with his hands not his body

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

I'm a USC hommer and I say this with complete conviction he is better route runner than Dez coming out and is a good character kind of kid. We pair Dez Ju Ju and Zek Lord have mercy Goodnight Irene and Ju Ju catches the ball with his hands not his body

I wouldn't doubt it. Dez was very raw coming out of OSU. USC runs a more sophisticated offense scheme than OSU did back then. It would be awesome to see Smith lined up opposite of Dez.

 

[SportsGuru80]

I'm a USC hommer and I say this with complete conviction he is better route runner than Dez coming out and is a good character kind of kid. We pair Dez Ju Ju and Zek Lord have mercy Goodnight Irene and Ju Ju catches the ball with his hands not his body

You my friend are correct... I want him in Dallas. He plays angry and attacks the ******* football!!!!

 

[KingintheNorth]

When JuJu first got to USC, many coaches thought he was a surefire future 1st round pick at Safety. As part of his recruitment, he was guaranteed a shot at WR first. Last year he was supposed to play both ways (like Adoree) but he has become too valuable at WR.

 

[KingintheNorth]

Fun fact, he added the Schuster to his name after his freshman year to honor his step-father. JuJu's a really good kid too, very personable off the field and then very focused on the field.

 

[KDM256]

JuJu Smith have a great test coming up with Alabama's secondary in Dallas in the upcoming weeks.

JuJu will either jump head of the pack for the biletnikoff by having a great game against Bama or will get behind the 8ball if Bama's secondary shut him down.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

It'll be a nice test, but I don't think it's that cut n' dry; QB play has a lot to do with it.

 

[ghst187]

Treadwell plays a physical brand of football similar to Dez. That said, I never got the comparison beyond that; Treadwell is nowhere near the explosive athlete Dez is and the numbers from the Combine reflected that. The player Treadwell reminds me of is Michael Floyd of the Cardinals.

agree!
I love Schuster, hoping he has a big year but not too big so he's there when we pick.

 

[CATCH17]

I'm a big Schuster fan; body type wise, he's the closest thing you'll get to a Dez clone.

That's exactly what he is.. He's a Dez clone.

I want to see him run at the combine. His physicality jumps out more than his explosiveness.

 

[RS12]

During his SEC media teleconference, Alabama head coach Nick Saban dropped a pretty big compliment to USC’s star receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.


"He's a fabulous player. Obviously had 89 catches last year, which I think was probably the best in their league. Not only does he play well as a receiver, he's physical, really a great competitor," said Saban. "Blocks. Does everything that anybody could ask for from a guy and plays with great competitive character. Big, strong, fast, good hands. A big-time guy. Kind of a Dez Bryant type of receiver, and he's certainly going to be a challenge for us to guard."


Now Saban didn’t say he’s LIKE Dez Bryant, he said he’s a “Dez Bryant type of receiver” but for fun let’s make a comparison.

http://usc.247sports.com/Bolt/Saban-Smith-Schuster-a-Dez-Bryant-type-quick-comparison--47082774

 

[Sydla]

As I said in another thread, name another USC skill player that developed? I guess you could say Bush eventually developed into a nice player but given he was a top pick in his draft, he didn't come close to those expectations.

 

[Doomsdayblitz]

And we would care, why? This player will be long gone when we pick in the first round. Besides, if this team doesn't go defense the first three or four picks, then it will just be further proof that the entire bunch has zero idea of how to win a SB. Remember, Jerry hasn't built one yet. Jimmy selected the vast majority of the players who won three rings for us. After they got old or left for money, Jerry hasn't come close to building a championship team in over TWO decades. It is the longest drought, by far, that this team has gone without at least playing for the NFC crown. He's really good at building fancy museums, but he really sucks at creating a champion. I can't wait until he goes into the home. It's the only way we'll ever get another Lombardi again.