A peek inside the Chargers suite at Lucas Oil Stadium for the 2017 Scouting Combine.
A Los Angeles native, JuJu Smith-Schuster made a name for himself the past three seasons lighting up L.A. on a weekly basis at USC.
Thus, it should come as no surprise he's intrigued by the thought of staying in the city he loves to play with a future Hall of Famer in Philip Rivers.
After telling the media at the Combine he'd already met with the Chargers, Smith-Schuster expanded on what it would mean to stay in L.A. and suit up for the Bolts.
"It would mean a lot," he acknowledged. "A serious quarterback who's a vet, staying back home (in a) great market and everything else. I think the whole experience of being back home and having the fan base I have would just grow more and more."
At 6-2, 220-pounds, Smith-Schuster is known for his physical style of play. He spends a lot of time studying Cowboys' star Dez Bryant, looking to pick up any tricks to the trade. Meanwhile, NFL pundits constantly compare him to 14-year vet Anquan Bolden, which is fine by Smith-Schuster.
"Recently, I like watching Dez Bryant. The way he plays physically, his mindset how he approaches (and) his passion for the game…. Anquan Bolden (for) his speed; at the same time the way he plays, the way he approaches the game and how tough he is. I kind of see myself the same way…. Just a very competitive person at what he does. He goes up for the ball, attacks it at its high point and he's just a baller out there."
Smith-Schuster burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2014, catching 54 passes for 724 yards and five touchdowns. He followed that up with a tremendous sophomore season, totaling 89 receptions for 1,454 yards and 10 TDs to be named a first team All-Pac 12 selection and second team AP All-American. Playing through a back injury last season, he started all 13 games for the Trojans, hauling in 70 passes for 914 yards and 10 touchdowns.
USC has been a hotbed for top wide receiver talent for decades, especially recent seasons. Smith-Shuster is eager to not only continue that legacy, but set his own mark.
"You have the Robert Woods. You have the Marqise Lee. You have Nelson Agholor and then the next ones now are me and Darreus Rogers. We kind of want to set that line (and) keep the tradition going. Keep producing and then just for our future, set the page for the other guys…. Me personally, I feel like I bring a different look for a USC receiver. You have Robert Woods who has great technique. He's great at what he does. You have Marqise Lee whose speed kills. And then you have Nelson Agholor (who is) a little bit between the both of them. Great technique, very sound, speed. You have me who's pretty big and physical and (has) decent speed."
He's also picked their brains for advice not only leading up to the draft, but for how to succeed in the NFL.
"Agholor talked about no matter what, you've got to stay positive. He didn't have his best season, but he said that he kept his mind right. Just keep fighting. At the end of the day you've just got to keep producing. Marqise Lee told me that you're going to go through some injuries that you're going to have to face, and you overcome that. And when he did, he had a great season this past season."
