Patriots' J.C. Jackson Says Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster Not Among NFL's Best

JuJu Smith-Schuster is positioned for a monster 2019 season, but not everyone thinks he's an elite wide receiver.

New England Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson was asked about the Pittsburgh Steelers wideout and dismissed the notion that he was one of the best in the league.

"In my opinion, I don't think so," Jackson said Thursday, per Ryan Hannable of WEEI. "There's a lot of good receivers in the NFL."

Jackson matched up against Smith-Schuster last season and held the receiver to four catches and 40 yards in a 17-10 Steelers home win. According to Mike Clay of ESPN, Jackson shadowed Smith-Schuster full-time in that Week 15 matchup while teammate Stephon Gilmore mostly stayed with Antonio Brown.

He will have a chance to improve upon these numbers when the two teams play again in Week 1 Sunday at Gillette Stadium.

The 22-year-old receiver has already proved he can put up big numbers with 111 catches for 1,426 receiving yards in 2018, earning a Pro Bowl selection in his second NFL season. With Brown traded to the Oakland Raiders in the offseason, there will be even more opportunities in 2019.

Jackson did concede that Smith-Schuster does have a lot of talent.

"I mean, he's a great receiver. I'm not saying that. He's a good football player," the second-year pro out of Maryland said. "... He's physical. He's a good route runner and he has good hands. He makes a lot of plays on the ball."

The former undrafted free agent might've still created some extra bulletin board material ahead of Sunday.