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One of the most intriguing players attending the Kansas City Chiefs rookie minicamp this weekend is wide receiver, Justyn Ross.
Ross, a Clemson product that signed with the Chiefs after the 2022 NFL Draft, has all the talent you want to see in an NFL prospect. But that talent is coupled with some baggage that caused him to go 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.
Ross would be diagnosed with a congenital fusion in his spine in the spring of 2020, which had doctors telling 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.
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During the 2021 season, which was his final year of collegiate football, Ross returned 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.
With his foot in the door and a chance to prove he’s an NFL-caliber pass-catcher, Ross met with Chiefs media for the first time and addressed questions regarding his health.
Ross Addresses Questions About His Health
During his press conference at minicamp on May 8, Ross was asked how close he feels he is to being fully healthy.
“I feel good,” Ross said.
If Ross can stay healthy, then the sky is the limit for someone that as a freshman at Clemson was the top wide receiver on a team that had Tee Higgins, Hunter Renfrow, and Amari Rodgers. That’s why Ross was considered the biggest steal among the undrafted rookies in 2022 by Bleacher Report.
For Kansas City, signing Ross made all the sense in the world. Ross can compete for a spot on the roster, and will do so without having any draft capital/a large contract attached to him. That in hand makes him easy to cut ties with if injuries start to appear again or if he just doesn’t perform to expectation. However, if Ross plays to his full potential, then the Chiefs have found themselves a diamond in the rough.
Ross on His Expectations for Rookie Year
One of Ross’ former Clemson teammates, receiver Cornell Powell, was drafted in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft by Kansas City. While Ross said Powell didn’t recruit him to join the Chiefs, he did say Powell has been helping him with the transition from college football to the NFL. As for why Ross chose to sign with the Chiefs, he gave two reasons, one of which was quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the other being head coach Andy Reid.
Now that Ross has joined the defending AFC West champions he has clear expectations for himself for his rookie year.
“Just get my foot in the door and make plays,” Ross said.
The Clemson product might be focused on the grind as he enters his first year in the league, but that doesn’t mean he’s not aware of how much he has overcome to get to this point.
“It felt good, man,” Ross said of his feelings of being on the field for rookie minicamp in Kansas City. “Like you said, with what I had going on [with my injuries], you never knew if I was gonna be able to be out here at all, period. So it felt real good.”
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