Getty Clemson wide receiver Justyn Ross.
The clip of wide receiver Justyn Ross’s one-handed catch at organized team activities (OTAs) for the Kansas City Chiefs was just a blip of what Ross can do from a talent standpoint.
After going undrafted out of Clemson this year, Ross entered OTAs in Kansas City with a lot to prove because he doesn’t have a roster spot locked up. The video of him posted by the Chiefs’ social media team on May 25 caught Chiefs Kingdom’s attention and has also been supported by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who is impressed with what he’s seen from Ross so far.
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“You still see the talent,” Mahomes said during his press conference after Day 2 of OTAs on May 26. “That’s the first thing. I mean you saw the catch on Twitter, but the way he catches the football out of the air, he snatches it. There are no drops or anything like that.”
With JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore, and Corey Coleman all new to the roster along with Ross, there’s a lot of competition for a limited amount of roster spots within Kansas City’s receiver room as the team begins the post-Tyreek Hill era. Because of that, Ross, despite his extensive injury history, has to hit the ground running in his NFL career if he wants to make the Chiefs’ 53-man roster come September.
For Mahomes, he explained what it’ll take for Ross to take the next step after a strong showing at OTAs.
“Now, it’s about him learning the NFL offense,” Mahomes explained. “That’s how it is for every rookie when they come in. You don’t see that top talent that they can be until they learn and can just play fast. I think you’ve seen the splashes of how talented he can be and then you see times where he’s just barely off of what we wanted. And he learns from that and he doesn’t make that same mistake.”
Even though Ross has a long way to go before he makes the regular-season roster, let alone make an impact in an NFL game, Mahomes thinks the ceiling is high for the rookie receiver.
“Just the more and more reps that he gets, I can only imagine how good he’s going to be because of the talent that he possesses,” Mahomes concluded.
Ross Brings High Upside, Injury History
Ross has one of the highest ceilings you’ll find from the 2022 class of NFL rookies. But there’s a reason why he went undrafted.
Ross was a playmaker during his first two seasons at Clemson. During the 2018 and 2019 seasons, he accumulated 1,865 receiving yards on 112 catches — 16.6 yards per catch — and 17 touchdowns, according to Sports Reference.
In the spring of 2020, Ross was diagnosed with a congenital fusion in his spine, and doctors told him he would never play football again, per Adam Teicher of ESPN. The Clemson pass-catcher would undergo surgery that year and sat out the 2020 season.
During the 2021 season, which was his final year of collegiate football, Ross managed to return to football and caught 46 passes for 514 yards and 3 touchdowns. But a stress fracture in his foot hampered his play the entire season.
With injuries plaguing him for the backend of his time at Clemson, Ross’s draft stock plummeted in 2022. Instead of being one of the top prospects in the draft, he went undrafted. But the injuries weren’t enough to keep Ross out of the NFL entirely, which is evident by him being on Kansas City’s 90-man roster.
Dabo: Ross Could be ‘Greatest Free Agent Ever’
While Ross has everything to prove as he enters the next chapter of his football career, his college football coach is being vocal — and bold — about what he believes Ross can do at the NFL level.
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney was asked about Ross, whom he coached throughout his collegiate career, during a Prowl and Growl event in Columbia, South Carolina.
“I mean he’s Justyn Ross,” Swinney said, via Matt Connolly of Clemson Sports. “There’s no questions about Justyn Ross when it comes to playing football. But there’s obvious questions when it comes to, ‘OK, where is he health wise?’ He broke his foot. Obviously he missed all that time with surgical procedures in his neck and back area. He’ll do just fine. If the good lord keeps him healthy, football will come easy for him.”
Swinney then went as far as to say Ross could eventually be known as one of the greatest the NFL has ever seen among the undrafted, barring injury.
“He might be the greatest free agent ever if he stays healthy,” Swinney said.
🗣 Clemson HC Dabo Swinney regarding #Chiefs WR Justyn Ross:
“He might be the greatest free agent ever if he stays healthy.”
Per @MattOnClemson & @DevclemNFL.