Clemson wide receiver Justyn Ross, a onetime first-round prospect, has signed as an undrafted rookie with the Chiefs.
Ross would have been a first-round draft pick in 2019 if the NFL allowed freshmen to enter the draft. He was the ACC’s leading receiver in 2018, and then he had six catches for 153 yards and a touchdown in the national championship game against Alabama.
But the NFL doesn’t let players enter the draft until they’re three years out of high school, and that meant Ross went back to Clemson, where the rest of his college career did not go according to plan. After suffering a stinger in practice he was diagnosed with a rare spinal condition and had to sit out a full year. He did return to the field, but he wasn’t as productive, and his final season in 2021 was cut short by stress fractures in his foot.
Now Ross will get an opportunity to show what he can do in a Chiefs offense that provides plenty of opportunities for big-play receivers. He’ll have to put in a lot of work just to make the roster, but he has rare upside for an undrafted player.
