LONDON — For the past three years, the only way Sergei Starodoubtsev experienced the NFL was by watching highlights of JuJu Smith-Schuster and other players on Instagram.
That the 17-year-old found himself sharing a field with the Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver — he was the one in workout clothes, not Smith-Schuster — was a little more than even he could comprehend.
"He's a different athlete and such an amazing player," Starodoubtsev said, awe-struck and struggling to find his words as Smith-Schuster addressed a group of fellow teenagers nearby. "I'm trying to succeed in this career and be on the big TV and play in the NFL and be in the same situation as JuJu.