Ghost of the NFL Draft: What Went Wrong for Former First-Round Draft Pick John Ross?

Many remember John Ross as the guy who was drafted immediately before Patrick Mahomes in the 2017 NFL Draft. What is the reason for Ross not living up to draft expectations?

John Ross began his sports career as a multi-sport athlete during his childhood years in Long Beach, California. Eventually, he began to standout out more and more both on the football field and as a track star, leading him to shift focus entirely to the two sports. Ross was one of the best runners in the country, topping out at 10.66 seconds in the 100 meter event. Furthermore, the speedster used this burst to terrorize defenses on the gridiron.

Following a strong four-year stint at Jordan High School, Ross gained attention from schools all over the country. He opted to stay on the west coast by joining the Washington Husky program in the PAC-12. After playing in all 13 games as a true freshman, Ross split time at wide receiver and cornerback when he returned as a sophomore. With loads of momentum behind him, Ross disastrously tore his ACL during the offseason leading into his junior year. He bounced back from injury, forming a strong connection with quarterback Jake Browning and leading a successful charge to the playoffs in 2016, before falling to the juggernaut Alabama Crimson Tide.

After that, Ross decided to forego his redshirt senior season and enter his name into the 2017 NFL Draft. Ross showed up to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis and turned heads. He posted an astonishing 4.22 40 yard dash, setting the new record at the time after surpassing Chris Johnson’s 4.24 time. The record run resulted in Ross injuring both his calves, leading to the former Husky sitting out the remainder of drills. Needless to say, he was able to showcase his mythical speed and teams took notice. Heading into the draft, Ross was in serious discussion to be the first wide receiver taken in the draft. Some scouts voiced their concerns regarding his hands and route running ability, but the majority were willing to bet on his blazing speed and figure out the rest later.

The draft opened up, to no one’s surprise, with Myles Garrett going No. 1 overall to the Cleveland Browns. A couple ugly picks, in retrospect, came next. Mitchell Trubisky (Bears) and Solomon Thomas (49ers) went No. 2 and No. 3 respectively. The first of two running backs went at No. 4 when the Jaguars took Leonard Fournette. At No. 5, the first wide receiver came off the board, and it wasn’t John Ross. The Titans chose small-school star Corey Davis instead. Jamal Adams made it two LSU Tigers in the top-six when the Jets took the hard-hitting safety. Yet another wide receiver heard his name called at No. 7, as Mike Williams was taken by the then San Diego Chargers. The final player taken before John Ross was Christian McCaffery. A year removed from a top-two Heisman finish at Stanford, CMC parlayed that success into a top-eight selection.

At long last, the Cincinnati Bengals made John Ross’ lifelong dream come to fruition. With the No. 9 overall pick in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, the Bengals got themselves the fastest wide receiver prospect of all time. We will highlight the players taken after Ross later on in the article, but first, what went wrong? Why did Ross fail to earn a second contract with the team that drafted him?

Ghost of the NFL Draft: Why John Ross is the Biggest Bust in Recent Memory

The short answer: availability. In four seasons as a Bengal, Ross only suited up for 27 of the possible 64 games. As a rookie, he found himself in Marvin Lewis’ doghouse following a fumble on what became his only touch in year one. A knee injury was partially to blame, but a majority of the absences were healthy scratches. Ross entered his second season determined to make a place for himself in the offense. He started ten games, but had a terrible catch rate of 36.2%, leading to only 21 receptions. Interestingly, seven of those 21 catches resulted in a touchdown, giving Ross something to build on going forward.

Year three began to show why Ross was highly-regarded entering the league. In only eight games, Ross recorded career highs in receptions (28) and receiving yards (506). This was highlighted by a monster opening game against the Seattle Seahawks. Ross brought in seven passes for 158 yards and two house calls. He followed that breakout performance up with another 100+ yard game the next week versus San Francisco. Sad to say, injuries reared their ugly head yet again. Ross found himself on the IR from weeks five through 13. After returning from injury, he failed to replicate the same success from the first two games of the season.

COVID and a slew of healthy scratches led to John Ross publicly requesting a trade from the Bengals. The fact that the franchise declined his fifth-year option might be the cause of the rift, but depending on who you ask, Marvin Lewis seems to be the main culprit. Either way, Ross logged only 86 snaps in 2020. The writing was on the wall for both him and the team; a fresh start was needed.

Ross became an unrestricted free agent last offseason, and chose to sign with the New York Football Giants on a cheap, one-year deal, in hopes that he could rebrand his image around the league. It was more of the same for Ross, however. He began the 2021 season on the IR yet again, before appearing in 10 games with the Giants. Ross never saw more than 5 targets in any single game, but did exceed the 70-yard mark in two separate games. Alas, COVID grabbed onto Ross and was a major reason why he didn’t see the field again after week 14.

That brings us to today. Ross is still sitting without a team, and given his track record, he may remain on the shelf. I’m not in the business of blaming players for getting selected so high, so the Bengals deserve most of the finger pointing when it comes to this next section. Some of the players taken after Ross in the 2017 NFL Draft are among the most well-known in the entire league. A few of them are sure-fire locks as hall-of-famers, only five years into their career. A short rundown includes:

•Patrick Mahomes (No. 10, Chiefs)

•Marshon Lattimore (No. 11, Saints)

•Deshaun Watson (No. 12, Texans)

•Marlon Humphrey (No. 16, Ravens)

•Tre’Davious White (No. 27, Bills)

•TJ Watt (No. 30, Steelers)

•Ryan Ramczyk (No. 32, Saints)

That list of seven players boast:

•One NFL MVP

•One Defensive Player of the Year

•Seven First-Team All-Pro Selections

•Four Second-Team All-Pro Selections

•19 Pro Bowl Selections

How do you view John Ross? I see him as a very talented player that got over drafted due to a record-breaking 40-yard dash. The hands issue was always there, but if injuries hadn’t sabotaged him in the NFL, there is reason to believe that he could have reached his full potential. He may be out of chances to realize this potential in the league, but maybe a team gives him one more shot. I hope that Ross finds a home and makes me look silly for giving him the label of the biggest NFL Draft bust of the past five years.