NFL Draft: Justyn Ross cleared for 2021 season with Clemson

Clemson wide receiver Justyn Ross has been cleared to play in the 2021 season.

It’s big breaking news out of Clemson today, as head coach Dabo Swinney announced that wide receiver Justyn Ross has been medically cleared to participate in the 2021 season. He will rejoin the team when he is out of COVID protocol.

This comes after Ross missed the entire 2020 campaign because of a congenital fusion issue in his neck. Despite potential thoughts of that being it for his playing career, Ross had surgery and even joined the team for some limited practice last fall.

It’s incredible, first and foremost, that Ross gets to return and play again, but it’s also great for his NFL Draft hopes, should he decide to declare after the season (he gets an extra year because of last season’s uncertainty).

Ross was dominant as a freshman, catching 46 passes for 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns. In 2019, Ross had 66 catches for 865 yards and eight more scores. The numbers speak for themselves, especially in what’s been a crowded room for several seasons.

If Ross can return even near to what he was before the injury, NFL teams and scouts will be salivating over his ability. Ross has the tall, wirey frame that can help him be a true WR1 at the next level. He has excellent length which contributes to a massive catch radius. He attacks the football in the air and secures it, and shows great body control. Even with his size, Ross is a dynamo after the catch, shows impressive agility and quickness in space to make defenders miss, and the acceleration to turn on the jets in open space.

Justyn Ross could shake up the current wide receiver landscape for the 2022 NFL Draft with a strong season, and if the medicals check out, could easily find himself in the first round and potentially be the top receiver drafted in a current class that’s looking for an elite WR1.