Bengals' 1st Round: John Ross, WR, Washington
Jim Owczarski , jowczarski@enquirer.com 9:13 p.m. ET April 27, 2017
The Bengals took Washington Huskies wide receiver John Ross in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
(Photo: Kyle Terada, Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)
With their first round pick at No. 9 overall, the Cincinnati Bengals selected University of Washington wide receiver John Ross.
ENQUIRER ANALYSIS
John Ross may be somewhat of a surprise pick at No. 9 overall, but the University of Washington receiver fills an immediate need for over-the-top speed across from A.J. Green. It was an element to the Bengals offense that was sorely lacking in 2016, and Ross brings that ability. He doesn’t fit the physical profile of most recent Bengals draft picks in terms of his size, but his deep ball ability, his route-running and surprising effectiveness in the red zone make him an attractive target.
There are medical concerns with Ross, who suffered multiple knee injuries and a shoulder injury while in college, though he recovered from all of them and played through the shoulder (labrum) before getting it fixed after the college season.
Aside from durability, big question now is where he fits in with the recently re-signed Brandon LaFell. It seems that 2016 second-round pick Tyler Boyd has found his niche in the slot and as one of Andy Dalton’s top third down targets, so will the Bengals use four wide receiver sets more often, work Ross in slowly or in specialty packages, or have LaFell be the primary backup across several positions?
MEASURABLES
Height: 5-10
Weight: 188
40-yard dash: 4.22
Vertical: 37 inches
KEY STAT
20.9
Percentage of the time he took a reception to the end zone in 2016 (17 touchdowns on 81 receptions)
STATS/AWARDS
Second team All-American
First team All-Pac 12
81 catches
1,150 yards
17 touchdowns (tied for second in the country)
17 kick returns for 411 yards and a TD.
ROLE EXPECTATION
With Green on one side and Boyd having proven himself in the slot, it makes sense that Ross would begin his Bengals career on the outside in order to have opposing defensive coordinators make a decision with where to roll their safety help. Ross could also challenge Alex Erickson on kick returns, and can line up in the slot in four-wide situations if LaFell is deployed as well.
DRAFTNIKS SAY
NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock:
“If you take the medical away from John Ross, he's going to make plays for you immediately, both in the kick game and the pass game. I don't think there is any doubt about that.”
CBS draft analyst Dane Brugler:
“Ross is an elite athlete and shows impressive polish for a player who switched between offense and defense his first two seasons and then missed all of the 2015 campaign due to knee injuries – his experience on defense helped advance his development reading coverages and understanding route depth as a receiver. He lined up all over the formation for the Huskies in 2016 and was a nightmare for defensive backs due to his vertical speed, sudden footwork and ability to manipulate coverages as a route technician. Ross doesn’t have ideal thickness on his frame and will struggle at times against physical press corners, but his combination of athleticism, tempo and ball skills makes him a home run threat as a receiver, ballcarrier and kick returner – one of the top-20 talents in the 2017 draft class, but his medical information will determine whether he is drafted that high.”
NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein:
“He should be able to step right in as a kick returner and a slot receiver, but teams with speed at tight end might utilize him outside to create extreme vertical stress on opposing safeties. If his knees check out as healthy, Ross is a likely first-round pick with the rare ability to become a high-volume slot receiver or a lesser-targeted, high-yield deep-ball threat.”
http://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/n...101006584/