John Ross III is a potential first round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft after an outstanding season helping lead Washington to a Pac-12 title (its first since 2000) and a College Football Playoff bid.
Ross made a name for himself as a big-play threat on the outside that could burn defensive backs with his straight-line speed. On Saturday at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Ross put it all together with an official 4.22-second time in the 40-yard dash, breaking Chris Johnson’s record of 4.24.
OH. MY. GOODNESS.
— NFL (@NFL) March 4, 2017
JOHN ROSS!!!! 🔥@UW_Football WR @WatchJRoss runs 4.22u 40-yard dash.
(cc: @chrisjohnson28) https://t.co/kkeUVDIMeQ
Even getting to this moment is quite an accomplishment for Ross after two knee injuries in college, but when he returned to the field healthy in 2016, his pro future was obvious. NFL scouts were blown away, but Washington fans have seen this before. Below, we’ve collected some of Ross’ best highlights from the season.
A triumphant return (vs. Rutgers): Back from injury, Ross scored three touchdowns (two receiving, one on a kick return) in Washington’s 48-13 season-opening win.
“Ross the Boss” shakes the entire Cal secondary: A couple things to note on this score, Ross’ second of three touchdowns against Cal in November. 1) Ross’ 40-yard dash speed on display as he breaks off the line of scrimmage. 2) He got so far down field he actually had to slow up to catch Jake Browning’s underthrown pass. 3) Since he waited for the ball, he might as well wait for all the Cal defenders to catch up so he can juke them out of their shoes before scoring a touchdown.
Making Jake Browning look good: Colorado’s defense beat up Browning a little bit, keeping the Huskies’ passing attack in check during Washington’s otherwise dominant 41-10 win in the Pac-12 title game. Ross still found the end zone, even if it was by unconventional methods. Browning was being pulled to the ground when he side armed a ball towards the sideline. Ross lept up, made an insane one-handed grab and then raced to the end zone for an easy score.
“I thought [Browning] was scrambling, I thought he was trying to throw it away and I just tried to go up and make a play. I got lucky,” Ross told the Pac-12 Network with a smile. “It was wide open. Great block by Dante [Pettis].”
Winning the 70-yard dash: I have no idea how USC’s secondary allowed Ross to get wide open 15 yards down the sideline, but the mistake made it impossible to catch up with the speedy wide receiver over the next 55 yards to the end zone.
Flashes of what was to come: Ross did built most of his NFL Draft resume as a wide receiver during the 2016 season, but his special teams impact surfaced much earlier in his career. Here, Ross returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown against Oklahoma State in the Cactus Bowl at the end of the 2014 season.