Former Clemson wide receiver Justyn Ross would have been a first-round draft pick in 2019 if the NFL had allowed him to enter the draft. But it wasn’t to be and then a lot of things got in the way that he didn’t even get drafted in this year’s draft.
Now the Kansas City Chiefs secured the undrafted free agent. Rookie wide receiver Justyn Ross wants to show he’s put his health issues behind him following going undrafted.
“A lot of hard work, just putting in the time and trying to get back to being a normal you,” Ross said Sunday to The Athletic. “I feel good. Of course I’m ready to prove to everyone” that he’s fully fit once more and a top receiver.
Ross appeared in his first two seasons at Clemson, rushing for 1,865 yards in 2018-2019. However, he missed the entire 2020 season due to a congenital spinal condition that required multiple surgeries and threatened his future as a player. He was reinstated for the 2021 season and rushed for 514 yards in 46 catches.
All teams rejected the 22-year-old in all seven rounds of the 2022 draft, and last Sunday he wasn’t immediately picked as a drafted free agent. However, Kansas City eventually signed him.
“Patrick Mahomes – a great quarterback – and Andy Reid – a great coach. It also feels like family. I’ve only been here a day but they treated me like family,” Ross said when asked why he chose the Chiefs.
Ross will have an opportunity to seek a role in a renewed Chiefs receiving corps that lost Tyreek Hill earlier in the season.
Whether Justyn Ross makes it into the roster remains to be seen as the offseason progresses.
