Rookie Scouting Profile: WR Justyn Ross

Justyn Ross (WR) Clemson

Height	Weight	40-Time	DOB	NFL Draft	Dynasty ADP	NFL Comp
6-3 5/8	210*	4.63*	12/15/1999	Day 2-3	2.12	Corey Davis

* Pro Day

College Production

Rivals’ No. 15 recruit out of Phenix Central High School (AL) after snagging 13 touchdowns and excelling as a returner during senior season. Committed to Clemson and set a school record by averaging 21.7 yards per catch and posting an impressive 46/1,000(team-high)/9 en route to Freshman All-American accolades. Earned All-ACC Honorable Mention honors in 2019 after catching 66 passes for 865 yards and 8 scores. Sat out 2020 due to a bulging disk and congenital spinal fusion but returned during redshirt junior season to post a 46/514/3 line.

Strengths

• Excellent size profile to be a solid mismatch and red-zone target against smaller defensive backs.

• Good route runner who makes excellent cuts and has deceptive breaking ability

• Plus versatility. Experience from the perimeter, slot, and has return capability.

• Dependable hands. Not a body catcher. Routinely able to pluck ball off the turf and has the size and leaping ability to be a solid option in contested-catch situations.

• Profiles as an above-average option in yards after catch and creating yards.

Weaknesses

• Missed entire 2020 campaign with that scary injury and didn’t look as explosive in 2021. Also had surgery in November for a stress fracture on foot.

• Only ran a 4.63 at Pro Day.

• Lacks suddenness off the line of scrimmage. Without elite speed, may have problems shaking man-to-man press coverage from NFL corners.

• Release needs work.

• Limited success as a blocker.

Fantasy Outlook

After his monster freshman showing, Ross was on the radar as a potential first-round monster but his Clemson career seemed to peak there in 2018. Ross has enough measurables to make in as an NFL player but his stock has fallen off enough that he’ll be viewed more of a WR4 with WR3/4 upside if he happens to land on a team that lacks depth. In rookie-only drafts, Ross’s stock is dipping but he looks like a good value in the top half of the third round.

Post-Draft Recap

Perhaps no player took a bigger fantasy plunge than Ross, who went undrafted due to concerns about his spinal fusion surgery. The good news is that Ross landed in Kansas City, one of the top offenses in football and the team that had the most vacated targets to fill this summer. If healthy, Ross has all the tools to be an impactful NFL player and will be plenty motivated to prove his doubters wrong. Because of his undrafted status, Ross is off the redraft radar but offers plenty of appeal in dynasty and rookie-only drafts.