Justyn Ross to Miss 2020: The Devy and Dynasty Fallout

Caleb Pierson

As we enter into June with the NFL Draft behind us, many of us are now focused on the 2021 NFL Draft prospects. For the most part, this is an exciting time as we are all tweaking and adjusting our rankings and digging deep into prospects who we didn’t have time for during this year’s process.

However, it is not always good information that we stumble upon. Clemson’s lead returning wide receiver and top devy asset Justyn Ross has been hit with some tough news. This will, without a doubt, cause a lot of devy fallout for the Tigers as well as Ross himself.

What is the injury?

Ross’s injury is being referred to as a “congenital fusion in his cervical spine” which will require surgery at the end of this week. Ethan Turner, a doctor of physical therapy and injury consultant for DLF, described the injury as one that has been present since birth but is just now showing up with symptoms such as nerve pain.

Given the information presently available, Turner gives Ross about a 60% chance of never playing football again. This of course is with very little information available to the general public yet but it absolutely puts Ross’s future football plans in jeopardy. Even if Ross is given a green light to return, Turner points out that it may cause issues down the road such as further nerve damage or osteoarthritis.

For more info on his injury, be sure to check out his fantastic thread getting into the more complex breakdown.

Trevor Lawrence, QB and Travis Etienne, RB

Two players who will be affected very little by this are starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence and starting running back Travis Etienne. Starting first with Lawrence, it will be interesting to see what the junior quarterback is capable of now being down his top two receiving targets from last year (Ross and Tee Higgins). While Clemson does a terrific job of continuing to stock up on four and five-star talent, it is still going to be one of the bigger tests that Lawrence has had to face since nailing down the starting job as a freshman.

Lawrence has had the luxury of tossing the rock to the 33rd overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft in Higgins, in addition to Ross the past two years. Despite the “adversity”, he will face this season, he remains my devy QB1. He is the real deal and should prove to lift the game of those around him and continue to be a dominant college quarterback regardless of who is catching the ball.

The next Tiger who won’t see any change in stock is surprise returning running back Travis Etienne. Having now posted back-to-back 1,600-plus rushing-yard seasons and totaling 49 total touchdowns as a sophomore and junior, Etienne chose to return to Clemson for his senior year after many had him ranked as the top projected running back in the 2020 NFL Draft.

He will now have even more opportunities as a senior to showcase his speed and explosiveness as he may be relied on even more as a senior with Ross’s absence. The loss of Ross should mean even more targets to Etienne, whose biggest knock for many has been his pass-catching. This could lead to a huge rise in Etienne’s stock come the 2021 NFL Draft.

Joe Ngata, WR

With both Higgins and Ross now gone, there is a clear path to becoming the number one wideout on this team for former four-star recruit Ngata. I was already beginning to move him up my rankings due to Higgins leaving as Ngata projects well to fill the void left. At 6’3” and 215 pounds, Ngata is a big man to have out on the boundaries. As a true freshman, he only caught 17 passes for 240 yards and three touchdowns but there were some very good receivers ahead of him on the depth chart. Do not let this stat line scare you away from the upside Ngata will bring to the table this year for the Tigers.

Ngata has great traits that pop on tape and will help him immediately step in as a contributor. First and foremost, his size helps him bully opposing defenders and go up and get those tough 50/50 balls. It isn’t often you get to see players enter into college and already possess ideal NFL size. In addition, he is also very good at the line of scrimmage and getting separation. He does not let cornerbacks get their hands on him and is very effective at using his hands and size at the line of scrimmage in order to create his initial separation.

He is smart and effective with his hands and body, something that will help him see the field early in 2020. To round out this impressive skill set, Ngata brings plenty of speed to the table to make him a vertical threat deep down the field. He moves well for his size, can quickly get up to speed, and shows good body control adjusting to catches deep down the field.

He will need to improve on his route running, but given that he shows good lateral agility and quickness, I think this is something he is more than capable of developing. He has all the tools to become a future WR1 and now has a clear path to a 1,000-yard receiving season for the Tigers. Ross’s absence immediately puts Ngata inside my top-12 devy wide receivers and should be enough to vault him into tier one for the 2022 class. He is a priority add in all devy leagues going forward, and now the next in line at WRU.

Deeper Sleepers to Watch

Ngata is clearly the biggest riser but there are a few other names to watch.

The first is sophomore Frank Ladson. Having come from the same recruiting class as Ngata, Ladson is not as polished but will certainly make an impact with his current skill-set. Having good size and reliable hands, he could quickly become one of Lawrence’s top go-to targets in 2020 and beyond. He wins more with his size than he does speed or route running, which means he could project to fill the hole left by Higgins. Regardless of his flaws, he should see plenty of work early which makes him worthy of a later-round devy pick with high upside.

The last name I want to mention is true freshman EJ Williams. The four-star recruit’s path to success in year one is a little more clear now with the injury to Ross. As a true freshman, Williams already displays good hand use at the line of scrimmage and does a good job creating separation. At 6’3”, he is a big target and knows how to win with his size. There is still plenty for the freshman to learn, but he may be called on early which will help his devy stock. He isn’t a priority add, but in deeper devy leagues, he is worth a shot.

Conclusion

Obviously, on a team as well as the Clemson Tigers, there isn’t much to worry about for the offense as a whole. Losing Ross is without a doubt a crushing blow to a National Title contender, but thankfully for the Tigers, they have done an excellent job loading up on talent that is waiting to be unleashed.

I am not worried about the value of any Clemson asset going down due to news on Ross. In my eyes, the running backs and wide receivers see a small bump in stock due to the significant vacated production that will be missing from 2019. The only player who loses value is Ross. For him, all I can say is I wish him a speedy recovery and hope he can find his way back onto a football field someday, but his health is number one. He isn’t drop-able yet, but I’m not sure I’m buying unless the price is basically free.