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I just want to begin this article by saying that I’ve always appreciated the kind of football player Steelers receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster has been since Pittsburgh drafted him in the second round in 2017. But while JuJu the football player has been a treat, JuJu the brand developer has simply been exhausting. He’s too worried about TikTok dances and talking trash with the Browns to really focus on his craft. Quite frankly and while I’ll always cherish that night in Cincinnati when he knocked Vontaze Burfict into the following week I’m glad Smith-Schuster is entering free agency. The Steelers don’t need another Antonio Brown, and I fear that’s the kind of person Smith-Schuster is turning into. All the best, JuJu, but I think it’s time you and the Steelers parted ways.
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There’s a lot of uncertainty with Pittsburgh Steelers as they enter the 2021 offseason. With 24 players set to become free agents of one type or another, the Steelers have some decisions to make and salary cap magic to be worked in order to retain as many players as they would like. While some decisions are no-brainers, others are something that will not likely be determined until the start of the new league year on March 17.
First off, there are three free agents that aren’t really free agents. These are the exclusive rights free agents. Bottom line, these players belong to the Steelers at a league minimum as long as the Steelers want them this season. With the three players being Robert Spillane, J.C. Hassenauer, and Marcus Allen, there’s no reason to cut ties with any of them. These are the three no-brainers.
Steelers 7 Round Mock Draft: Dreams vs. Reality By steelerfan11 on Feb 5, 2021, 2:34pm EST +
As it turns out, I have not had as much time to fool around with mock drafts this year. Most of my draft work has been put into the BTSC big board so far, and any extra time has been focused on just players and not projections. However, I am finally here to deliver my first Steelers seven round mock draft of the year.
Remember, a mock draft is supposed to be a projection of what you think will happen, not necessarily what you want to happen. I will start off with my actual seven round projection (reality), following it with a seven round exercise based on what I hope happens (dreams).
Let s get to it:
MATTHIAS NOLDER FROM MILWAUKEE, WI: In the final regular season game against the Browns, Mason Rudolph, in my opinion, was dropping dimes on the Browns defense left and right. Has Mike Tomlin addressed Rudolph s growth at the position at all? Do you think that the Steelers will have him start once Ben retires?
ANSWER: This was Coach Mike Tomlin s answer to a question about Mason Rudolph that was posed to him after the loss to the Browns in the Wild Card Round: I thought he displayed that he took a step in growth and development in his performance, even though it was a small sample size. I would imagine that he is going to continue with that growth and development. We will see where that leads us in terms of what he is able to provide us. I m excited that he was able to display that, and I think it is reasonable for me to expect that general trajectory to continue.