Rookie SWOT: John Ross

Name: John Ross

Position: Wide Receiver

Pro Team: Cincinnati Bengals

College Team: Washington Huskies

Draft Status: Round One, Pick No. 9 Overall

Video Highlights

Combine Review

• Height: 5’11’’
• Weight: 188 Pounds
• Hands: 8 ¾’’
• Arm Length: 31 ½’’
• 40-Yard-Dash: 4.22
• 20-Yard-Shuttle: DNP
• 3-Cone: DNP
• Vertical: 37’’
• Broad Jump: 133’’

Strengths

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Ross might already be the fastest player in the NFL. His speed allows him to stretch the defense with ease. He’s a home-run threat due to his ability to score from anywhere on the football field. Defensive backs will have to respect his speed to keep from getting burnt multiple times in a game. 

He does a very good job at tracking the ball to make over the shoulder catches while running deep routes. Ross has the “my-ball” mentality that you want in a receiver, because he’s aggressive at the catch point and will try to out muscle the defender to get into position to make the catch. Due to his quick feet and efficient footwork, it’s easy for defenders to get tripped up trying to cover him while he’s making his cut while running corner and post routes.

He was very productive once he was finally healthy, catching 81 receptions for 1,150 yards and 17 touchdowns during his redshirt junior season. Ross was very important to Washington’s success on offense by owning a 31.74 percent market share of the team’s passing offense.

Weaknesses

He lacks the ideal size for the prototypical wide receiver at the NFL level. Physical cornerbacks will be able to take advantage of his lack of strength by jamming him at the line of scrimmage. He demonstrated an inability to beat press coverage while playing Alabama, where he was held in check by catching just five receptions for 28 yards.

Injuries plagued his entire collegiate career. He had a meniscus surgery on his right knee in January of 2015 and an ACL surgery on his left knee in April of 2015. The two surgeries caused him to miss the entire 2015 season. He also experienced a shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum in March of 2017. His thin frame makes him more susceptible to injuries due to his inability to absorb contact.

Opportunities

Ross should easily beat out the rest of the receivers on the roster to be the team’s second receiver behindAJ Green. Playing on the opposite side of the field to Green will make his transition to the NFL a lot easier, because he’s never going to be double covered and opposing defenses won’t have the personnel to always have a safety rolled over to his side to cover the deep third of the field. Ross should see a lot of one on one coverage early in his career, providing him the opportunity to exploit opposing defensive backs with his speed. Cincinnati might have been the best landing spot for his skill set, because the team needed a speedy split end to stretch the field and Ross can easily fill that void for the Bengals.

Threats

Ross’ injury history is a bit of a concern and could derail his career if it continues. Sometimes, availability is the best ability for a player. Being consistently injured makes you unavailable, allowing other players on the roster the opportunity to steal your spot on the depth chart. Pre-existing conditions can grant a player with the dreaded injury prone label which will instantly dropping a player’s value in the trade market. A lot of dynasty owners will avoid him all together if he suffers another devastating injury.

Tyler Boyd is a very talented prospect who the Bengals drafted in the second round last year. He was very productive in college at the University of Pittsburgh and he is a very efficient route runner. We could see him lining up on the opposite side of Green as the WR2 in the offense if he develops to his full potential. Boyd is the only receiver on the roster that could stem as a threat to Ross, but the chips will have to fall in all the right places for Boyd to leap Ross on the depth chart.

The offense is loaded with weapons with AJ Green, Tyler Eifert, Joe Mixon, Giovani Bernard and other talented players who could potentially steal passing targets way from Ross. Hopefully, he can grasp a solid target share within the offense, so he doesn’t become a weekly frustration for fantasy owners.

Short-Term Expectations

Ross should receive a lot of playing time early in his career and he should be fantasy relevant during his rookie season as a high upside volatile flex play. AJ Green is going to get the majority of the targets, but Ross’ big play potential could amount to some big weeks when it comes to fantasy production. His straight-line speed should instantly impact the offense by stretching the defense and providing a new dynamic the team hasn’t experienced before.

Long-Term Expectations

He should develop into one of the best deep threats in the league. There aren’t many corner backs in the NFL that can hang with Ross stride for stride and he should be able to take advantage of his ability to outrun opposing defensive backs. He should be a steady WR2 throughout his career with WR1 upside. If he can remain healthy, he will be a solid long-term asset to your dynasty team.

NFL Comparison

When it comes to height, weight and speed, Ross draws a very close comparison to Brandin Cooks. Both players are blazing fast and are tremendous after the catch. The big difference between the two players, is that Cook’s is a more versatile route runner.

Due to his ability to track the ball while making tough over the shoulder catches, Ross draws a comparison the DeSean Jackson. Jackson has made a living by utilizing his speed to blow by defensive backs and just like Ross did during his four-year tenure at Washington. Don’t be surprised if Ross’ career is a mirror image of Jackson’s NFL career. 

Projected Range in Rookie Drafts

Per DLF’s Rookie ADP, Ross is considered a mid to late round pick in rookie drafts with an ADP of 9.30. His draft capital alone should make him a bonafide first-rounder in rookie drafts since he was the ninth overall pick in the actual NFL Draft. Players with his draft capital tend to get plenty of opportunities to succeed. This year’s rookie class is stacked with talent, causing Ross to slide in drafts. Ross’ price tag is very palatable, considering in most years you would have to pay a top five pick to acquire a wide receiver who was drafted in the top ten of the NFL Draft. Consider it a steal if he falls to you in the latter portion of the first round.

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