The hype train surrounding Justyn Ross seems to know no bounds. Every day in the training camp he showed his potential with spectacular catches. Most people know that Ross showed in college that he has what it takes to be a top receiver. It is also known that injuries then threatened his career. But what exactly Justyn Ross experienced, why this opportunity is incredible and why he just ended up with the Chiefs, you can find out here.
Ross was born on December 15, 1999, just in the last millennium, and grew up in Phenix City, Alabama in the southern United States. He had the disease, which was later to cause massive problems in his sports career, from birth. Except that he didn’t know about it until he was injured in college.
Justyn Ross: Great football start in college
In the spring of 2020, Justyn Ross was no longer a stranger. Strong performances in high school had made him a top candidate for the top collegiate league, Division I, and he had chosen the Clemson Tigers. There he was able to show his talent as a freshman with an incredible 301 receiving yards and four touchdowns in two games against top colleges Alabama and Notre Dame. In the second year at the university then the final breakthrough: 865 receiving yards and eight touchdowns and the way to the NFL seemed only a matter of form.
Then Ross was tackled by a teammate in practice and lay down. His arms felt numb and he felt a tingling sensation. He already knew something like that after a hard hit – the Americans call such a nervous reaction of the body “stinger”. That happens in football after a hard collision. At least that’s what Justyn Ross thought.
Devastating diagnosis for football talent Ross
But the doctors at his university were not so quick to let him back on the pitch and checked his neck on the MRI. The result: It wasn’t the bruise or the hit that was the problem, but a congenital anomaly of the spine. The diagnosed Klippel-Feil syndrome occurs when at least two vertebrae have fused, i.e. grown together. The advice for doctors with this malformation: No sport, no risk of injury in the neck area. Football doesn’t really work that way anymore.
A huge shock for Ross. Every hit in the last 15 years of his football career could have ended his life or completely paralyzed him. He was incredibly lucky that nothing worse happened up until the tackle. According to the college doctors, a continuation of the sports career was out of the question. With the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Ross decided to continue training and hope for a misdiagnosis or a miracle. But no coach or doctor gave him permission to put on a football uniform again for the next few months.
Justyn Ross: Rescue comes from Pittsburgh
His salvation was a neurosurgeon well-known to NFL fans who also worked for the Pittsburgh Steelers: Dr. David Okonkwo. In 2017, he operated on the spine of Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier after a brutal hit on the field and did not enable him to return to competitive sports, but ensured that Shazier could walk again and not spend his life in a wheelchair was tied up. Now he should give Ross’ career one last chance.
The operation replaced a vertebra with an artificial transplant – actually a routine operation for the specialist. So far, however, he had never performed it on a patient with the diagnosis and accordingly could not assess whether Justyn Ross would be able to safely play football again afterwards. All other options would definitely have ended if he continued his active career.
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Just a few weeks later, Okonkwo examined his patient and spoke to Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney about the success. It wasn’t just a “winning season, it was a 15-0 walkthrough”. But for Ross to play football again, the bones around the vertebrae needed to heal and the muscles needed to be strengthened. Every day for months, Ross wore a necklace with an electromagnetic field that was supposed to increase bone growth. With success.
In the spring of 2021, Ross was allowed back onto the field for the first time. Still without collisions and tackles, but catching balls and running routes again. Before he was allowed to get back in full swing, doctors in Pittsburgh and Clemson ran various tests. His surgeon trusted him to play again, other doctors were more critical. In the end, Ross decided for himself and wanted to prove it to everyone again.
The Justyn Ross drama continues
When Justyn Ross was supposed to be back on the pitch with his teammates for the first time, the next shock: he was corona positive and had to sit out for the next two weeks. The virus caused Ross to lose almost seven kilograms of body weight and was out of shape. Nevertheless, he wanted to get fit at the start of the season against the Georgia Bulldogs and threw himself into training. The result: a stress fracture in his left foot. Ross was a walking unlucky fellow. Whenever things looked a little better again, a new drama came around the corner.
So that he could still recommend himself for the NFL in his last year of college, Ross decided not to have surgery and tried to play with the injury. His coaches had to tape the swollen foot before every game so he could even perform. Not ideal, but Ross had a big goal. The NFL Draft in April 2022. But after ten games, he accepted that without an OP, he finished his college career with 46 catches, 514 yards and three touchdowns. Not as impressive as in his first season, but still best in the Clemson Tigers team.
Clear goal in mind: Justyn Ross wants to play in the NFL
Preparing for the NFL Draft was a top priority for Ross. With a professional team and several boot camps, he prepared for the Clemson Pro-Day – which was almost a month after the official NFL Combine and allowed him more time to prepare. Top 40 yard dash and short shuttle runs should increase the odds of a pick on Day 3 of the draft. But with only 4.64 seconds on the 40 yards he didn’t manage a wow time, but only a below-average value for receivers. Conclusion on the draft analysis platform: Very poor.
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But what did the NFL teams say about Ross? Did they see the potential of the early college years or the danger after the many medical problems? Only four medical departments gave their teams the green light. Not only the unsafe situation with his spine deterred her, but also the apparently not 100 percent healed foot, which did not allow full weight bearing. The risk of a bust was simply too great in the draft.
Justyn Ross was a huge opportunity for the Chiefs after the draft. His speed, dominance in the catch and the athlete’s potential were incredibly exciting for Andy Reid and his team. Ross signed as an undrafted free agent to a three-year, $2.56 million contract. Without any guarantees. Since there was basically no competition, the team could simply give the great talent Ross a chance without risk.
But after just a few training sessions, the Chiefs noticed that the foot was anything but healthy. Therefore, together with the player, it was decided to have another surgery and to suspend the season. At the IR, Ross was able to optimally engage with the playbook, the team mentality and his teammates and hopefully continue to pursue his NFL dream healthy and in top shape in the second year. And won his first Super Bowl ring as an inactive player with the Chiefs in February 2023.
A real chance in the second year?
For Justyn Ross, spring started with the rookie minicamp, the OTAs and voluntary workouts – and it really stood out. He was finally fully recovered and was finally able to show his speed, bounce and explosiveness in interaction with Patrick Mahomes. So far only in training.
On August 13th at 7:00 p.m. German time, Justyn Ross started his first real football game in almost two years and the number of prominent supporters is impressive. Almost everyone in the NFL begrudges the permanently injured unlucky boy the almost unbelievable leap into the NFL. If that works, Justyn Ross could become one of the most emotional stories of the current season and help the Chiefs defend the title in February. But for that he has to “survive” the first tackles. Since his mother Franklin will celebrate every time he gets up again.
My opinion
Justyn RossHe is the perfect X-receiver who can assert himself on the flanks against the physically best defenders through acceleration, good routes and separation. How excited I would be to buy the jersey with the #8 for the Frankfurt game in November!
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2023-08-16 10:04:08
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