Justyn Ross film review; Is there hope to justify the hype?
The expectations for the undrafted free agent are higher than many draft picks. We examine snaps from 2021 and 2019 to try and figure out where he wins and how he fits in as a Chief.
Justyn Ross is a rookie wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs.
If I traveled back in time following the 2018 or 2019 college seasons, people would assume Ross being a Chief meant that Brett Veach and company had spent a high draft pick on him (or even traded up). However, years later a combination of bad luck and (depending on who you ask) less stellar tape have taken their toll on Ross’s draft status, with him falling out of the draft entirely.
Of course, being undrafted doesn’t mean a player isn’t talented. And there are many who remember Ross, a highly-touted recruit, putting forth several exceptional seasons while being thrown passes by Trevor Lawrence. He was, following his first two years in college, considered the legitimate WR1 of his group. That has led to more hype surrounding Ross joining the Chiefs than I can ever remember for an undrafted rookie free agent.
But is that hype justified? Ross’s final year in college (following surgery for a congential fusion in his spine) was not remotely as dominant as his 2018 and 2019 seasons, and he was eventually sidelined by a foot injury (he reportedly played with a broken bone in his foot throughout the season) that caused him pain each week. Naturally, the biggest concern regarding Ross is his ability to stay healthy, but that’s not something we (without a functioning crystal ball) can predict), and so we’ll leave that aside as an ever-present caveat the rest of the way.
With that in mind, does Ross’s film in college justify the WR1 hype? All we can do is go to the film and see what type of player Ross was most recently, in 2021, as well as back in the 2019 season. Does he show up as a player who can move the needle on offense? Where does he win? What are his limitations?
Fortunately, we’ve spent much of this offseason discussing identical questions for other college wide receivers (including 2nd round pick Skyy Moore), so let’s jump back on the “know your draft crush” wagon for one more go-around, shall we? I went back and watched multiple games from 2021 and 2019 using the same criteria, looking Ross’s speed/acceleration/agility, release ability (ability to get free at the line), route running, hands/strength at catch point, and yards after catch ability. Then I’ll talk about where I would have ranked Ross’s film in the WR “tiers” I formed during the pre-draft process after reviewing over a dozen of the best prospects.
Let’s talk about a player who has, simultaneously, all the expectations in the world and none at all in 2022.