One of the biggest busts in the history of the NFL as well as the history of the Cincinnati Bengals is getting another chance with the Philadelphia Eagles.
John Ross will attend the Eagles’ rookie camp as a tryout seven years after being taken with the No. 9 overall pick by the Bengals.
Before his record was broken by new Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy, John Ross held the NFL record for the fastest 40-yard dash.
Ross ran a 4.22-second 40-yard dash, breaking the record of former Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson, who ran a 4.24-second 40-yard dash.
WR John Ross breaks 40-yard dash record with unofficial time of 4.22 pic.twitter.com/Lq7u9QpeTS
— NFL News (@New_NFL_News) March 4, 2017
This NFL Scouting Combine performance caused Ross to skyrocket in potential prospect value. So much so, that the Cincinnati Bengals decided to take him with the No. 9 overall pick.
When the Bengals decided to select John Ross with their early first-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, they passed up on a wide selection of future elite NFL players.
The most notable player passed up by the Bengals was quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who has since won three Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Other NFL players the Bengals passed up on to select John Ross that have since carved out NFL careers that are anywhere from solid to elite are:
While Ross showed flashes of brilliance during his time in the NFL, he was never able to compete at the level that was expected of a No. 9 overall pick.
Seahawks have interest in signing former Husky star WR John Ross who ran a record 4.22 40 yard dash at the NFL Combine.
Ross had 1,252 yards and 19 TD’s for the Huskies in 2016, helping them reach the CFP.
— WestCoastCFB (@WestCoastCFB) March 15, 2021
His time on an active roster, which spanned from 2017 to 2021, only saw one season in which he had more than 224 yards receiving.
He accrued 957 career receiving yards and 11 career receiving touchdowns. Noticeable lack of effort and poor attitude turned many Bengals fans against Ross during his short time with the time. Things like not laying out for deep balls to help a young Joe Burrow cause fans and the organization to give up on Ross.
Just posting the video, come to your own conclusions.
Burrow’s deep ball to John Ross #Bengals
I can’t see enough. I don’t think he has room to lay out, but I don’t know if it narrowly misses his fingers, or if he doesn’t get his hands under the ball quickly enough. pic.twitter.com/lpBxVAtytB
— (@BengalsCaptain) September 14, 2020
Ross himself said in an article from Sports Illustrated that he didn’t listen to advice in his younger days and that he thought he could rely on his speed to bring him success in high-level football.
An older, wiser Ross will have another chance with the Philadelphia Eagles. Many of the players selected in the same draft as him are currently in their prime, so it is not too late for Ross to make a resurgence. Even if Ross lost a step, he would still be one of the fastest players in the NFL.“In college, someone gave me advice. I never listened,” Ross said. “Hau’oli Kikaha used to tell me ‘bro, you’re so fast, you’re like a Ferrari. You need to take care of your body.’ He said ‘do you see people driving a Ferrari everyday?’
“It was a great analogy because you don’t. That’s not an everyday car. So what he’s trying to tell me is ‘you’re not built like I am. You’re not like an everyday go hard type of person. You got to take care of your body a different way than I have to because you run at a different speed. Your body just translates to workouts different than the average player.’
“It didn’t make sense to me because I felt like ‘I’m playing at a high level. We’re playing at the same high level. The things that you can do I definitely can do.’ As I get older I definitely learn. Speaking to DeSean Jackson, A.J. Green and Darqueze Dennard — those guys have been the three biggest guys in my career that always sit back and tell me a bunch of things and give me great advice.”
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