Former Steelers WR could be a surprise star for Patriots in 2024

Last month, the New England Patriots decided to use the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on former North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye. 

New England hopes Maye can develop into the next great franchise signal-caller, but some are concerned about his chance to succeed in an offense that doesn't currently feature many notable skill players.

During the last few months, one of the Patriots' biggest additions to their offense was K.J. Osborn, who spent the previous four seasons as a reserve wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings.

Perhaps New England knows something about its current group of pass-catchers that many outside the organization are unaware of. Maybe there's even a certain receiver on the Patriots roster who has a chance to get his career back on track after not being 100 percent healthy last season.

JuJu Smith-Schuster is currently entering his second year with New England. After finishing with the second-fewest catches in a single season of his career in 2023, he'll be wanting to prove next season that he can still be a solid wide receiver in the NFL.

According to the Boston Herald's Doug Kyed, Smith-Schuster recently revealed that he was around 60 percent healthy during the Patriots' OTAs last spring, as he was still recovering from a knee injury he suffered during the 2022 playoffs.

But this year, the veteran receiver claims to be back at 100 percent health, and he had the following to say about how different he feels this spring compared to when New England held its OTAs last year.

"It’s a big difference. It’s not easy coming off a knee injury and having a long season, and coming back really short... I feel great, honestly. I feel great. I’ve never felt better. I’m just excited to finally be out here around this time and participating," Smith-Schuster said.

When he entered the NFL back in 2017 after the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted him with a second-round pick, Smith-Schuster quickly established himself as a solid receiving option in a talented offense.

During his second season with the Steelers, he had a breakout performance with 111 catches for 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns. Since then, however, Smith-Schuster hasn't finished a season with over 1,000 receiving yards, and he's missed multiple games due to injuries.

Two years ago, he caught 78 passes for 933 yards and three touchdowns in 16 games for a Kansas City Chiefs team that he helped emerge with a victory in Super Bowl LVII.

Next season, if Smith-Schuster can put up similar numbers to what he finished with in 2022 as a member of the Chiefs, then it's going to be a lot easier for Maye and the rest of the Patriots offense to succeed.