Getty Image / Andy Lyons
Ahead of the 2017 NFL Draft, football fans expected the year’s wide receiver class to be truly special.
3 of the first 9 picks in that year’s draft came at that position.
It turned out that none of those players would be the reason we remembered it.
Instead, it would be names like Cooper Kupp, Chris Godwin, and Juju Smith-Schuster that ended up making their mark at the position.
Meanwhile, Corey Davis, Mike WIlliams, and John Ross all struggled to live up to their draft capital.
Of the 3, Ross’ NFL career has been the biggest struggle.
The Cincinnati Bengals drafted him 9th overall after he broke the record for fastest 40-yard dash at the Combine.
During his rookie season, he appeared in just 3 games and didn’t record a catch.
Year 2 was better, but still not an actual success. Ross was able to play in 15 games, but still made just 21 catches for 210 yards.
He only played 8 games the following season, but made 28 catches for 506 yards in those game.
Ahead of his 4th season, the Bengals declined the 5th-year option on his rookie deal. That year, Ross played in just 3 games and ended up requesting a trade that never came.
He would then head to the Giants for the 2021 season. He played 10 games for them, making 11 catches.
He didn’t play in 2022, but signed with the Chiefs this offseason.
It doesn’t look like he’ll ever end up playing for them, though.
According to NFL Network’s Mike Garofolo, the Chiefs added Ross to the reserve/retired list.
The #Chiefs placed WR John Ross on the reserve/retired list, according to today’s transaction wire. The record holder for fastest 40-yard dash at the Scouting Combine (4.22) and No. 9 overall pick in 2017 has decided to retire.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) July 26, 2023
John Ross’ incredible speed led to a lot of hope for what he could become in the NFL, but that hope unfortunately never panned out.
Now it looks like that career will be coming to an end after just 6 seasons in the NFL.