Justyn Ross is a senior WR for the Clemson Tigers. He entered Clemson as a freshman with Trevor Lawrence, where he was a star immediately. He was expected to be a first-round pick alongside his QB in 2021. However, he was found to have a congenital fusion in his spine, which forced him to sit out the 2020 season. After being medically cleared, Ross now has a chance to once again put himself in the first-round conversation. Let’s check out his skillset.
Strengths: The first thing you notice while watching Justyn Ross is his size. Standing at 6’4″, he has an impressive arm length and catch radius, which allows him to snag balls out of the air. This is something that many smaller receivers wouldn’t have a chance at replicating. He also seems to be a very reliable receiver, as he has good hands, rarely drops well-thrown balls, and clicked instantly with Trevor Lawrence in 2018 (which was both of their freshman seasons). Ross displays good ball skills and a good ability to track the football in the air. He has decent footwork off the line and displays the ability to create some separation from press coverage. He excels on deep balls when he has space to run long, even if he doesn’t have the top-end speed to burn DBs. He shows a good ability to find holes in zone coverage and get open. Ross also is a willing blocker, displaying physicality and determination in the run and the screen game.
Weaknesses: Let’s address the elephant in the room first: Ross’s medical condition that caused him to miss the full 2020 season. He was sidelined with a congenital fusion issue in his neck. That is a fairly rare condition in which two (or more) vertebrae fuse in the neck. This can cause various issues, such as limited range of motion in the neck and, most notably, trauma to the fused area that can cause enhanced issues. Ross was medically cleared to play football on August 6th, so all we can do is trust the doctors that he is good to go. Moving past the medical history, he still has a few other concerns. He is not a very dynamic player with the ball in his hands and lacks much success after the catch. He often is taken down by the first tackler and doesn’t really make people miss. He also lacks great deep speed and quickness in general in and out of his breaks.
Bottom Line: Ross isn’t one of the super dynamic, explosive receivers who many analysts fall in love with throughout the draft process. However, that doesn’t mean Ross isn’t a good receiver, he just plays a different game. He is a reliable pass-catcher with a large catch radius who shows the ability to be trusted by his quarterback. He is best as a deep threat, although he lacks great top-end speed and quickness. He is also a willing blocker, which should help keep him on the field early on. I expect him to be a favorite of new Clemson starting QB D.J. Uiagalelei. Obviously, his medical history is a bit of a concern and will strongly determine where he ends up being drafted in 2022.
Edited By: Rupayan “Abs” Samanta.
