Clemson wide receiver Justyn Ross would have been a first-round draft pick in 2019, if the NFL would allow freshmen to declare for the draft. Ross had a 1,000-yard freshman season that culminated with six catches for 153 yards and a touchdown in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game against Alabama and was viewed as one of the truly elite talents at the wide receiver position.
But Ross couldn’t turn pro, and after returning to Clemson he suffered a stinger in practice that revealed a potentially serious congenital spinal condition that caused him to miss one full season. He did eventually return to the field, but last year his production was not the same and his season ended early because of stress fractures in his foot.
Ross went undrafted over the weekend, and now he’s just hoping that some team gives him a shot as an undrafted free agent.
“Just need dat 1 chance,” Ross wrote on Twitter.
It had to be a rough weekend for Ross, especially knowing that if not for the NFL’s draft rules forcing him to remain in school, he could have been a first-round pick who’s now heading into his fourth NFL season.