Before his career at Clemson was sidetracked by health issues, Justyn Ross was once projected to be a top NFL draft pick.
Instead, after declaring for the 2022 NFL Draft following his redshirt junior season in 2021, the talented wide receiver went undrafted and then unsigned until Monday – when the Kansas City Chiefs were able to ink him as an undrafted free agent.
The main reason Ross didn’t hear his name called in this year’s draft, of course, is because of health concerns from NFL teams. He missed the 2020 season after undergoing surgery for a congenital fusion in his spine, and then after returning to the field last season, he played through a stress fracture in his foot that limited his production and prevented him from testing in full following the season.
However, Ross checked out for the Chiefs after they did their due diligence on his medical history, something general manager Brett Veach spoke about Tuesday when meeting with the media.
“I think with Justyn, everyone kind of knows his story,” Veach said. “He’s certainly a really talented individual that had gone through his share of injuries at Clemson. … I’ve always said that our docs are on the more conservative side, and we spent a lot of time, and I know our docs at KU (University of Kansas) spent a lot of time talking to the experts that dealt with Justyn. He’s cleared, and I think really, when you take away the neck situation – and again, our docs did a great job of exhausting all the information – I think for me, it’s a little easier on how I operate.
“I know how good our medical staff is… if they tell me yes, I feel good. If they tell me no, I don’t try to become a doctor all of a sudden and try to say well, this team said this… No. If our docs say good, we’re good, and Rick (athletic trainer Rick Burkholder) and his staff said they’re good. I think one of the things that popped up was a foot, and so that hindered him late in the season and then I think he really didn’t have time to test and train. So, I think it was a combination of a lot of things, why he fell, and obviously most of it had to do with a couple of seasons ago with the neck.”
Veach explained how the Chiefs ended up adding Ross to their roster, saying that they maintained contact during and after the draft with Ross and his agent, Tory Dandy – who also represents former Clemson, former Chiefs and current Green Bay Packers wide receiver Sammy Watkins.
“I know his agent very well, Tory Dandy,” Veach said. “It was Sammy Watkins’ agent, and we stayed in touch as the draft went on and then when the draft ended, he was just kind of going through some different options and we just stayed in touch, and then (Monday) we just connected again. He had a chance to just review all the offers and the landscape of where everything was, and he decided to come here.”
Ross finished his Clemson career spanning 2018-21 having recorded 158 passes for 2,379 yards with 20 touchdowns across 39 career games (24 starts). The Phenix City, Ala., native concluded his time at Clemson ranked tied for fifth in Clemson history in career receiving touchdowns, 10th in career receiving yards and 11th in career receptions. He caught a pass in 37 straight games, tied for the third-longest streak in Clemson history as of the end of the 2021 season.
Veach was asked about his expectations for Ross, who is expected to participate in the team’s rookie minicamp this weekend as he tries to compete for a roster spot and looks to prove that his health issues are in the past.
“As far as expectations, it’s like a lot of these guys,” Veach said. “Whether you’re a first-round pick or second-round pick, you’ve got to come in here and learn the playbook and you have to have the confidence in the coaching staff to execute your assignment. You have to have the confidence in Pat (Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes) for him to trust you to execute your assignment.
“I think talent wise, as long as he stays healthy, he’ll have a shot. It’ll just come down to him and how he handles the playbooks and being moved around and staying healthy and being diligent in regards to looking ahead and preventative things that he can do for his body. … So, like a lot of these young guys, if he does those things, given the talent he has, he should be able to come here and potentially contribute.”
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