Ross was selected ninth overall by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2017 NFL draft. Although Ross’s career in the NFL never really took off, his record in the 40-yard dash remains memorable.
At the 2017 NFL combine, John Ross ran a record-breaking 4.22-second 40-yard dash. This is the fastest 40-yard dash ever recorded using electronic timing.
Lamar Jackson’s 4.34 and Erik Stokes’ 40 times have come close to official times.
The difference between an unofficial 40-yard dash and an official 40-yard dash is crucial.
In order for this drill to be considered official, electronic timing must be used. Oftentimes, players measure their 40-yard dash on pro days or with trainers using handheld stopwatches.
As a result, measuring with a stopwatch is always going to be considered unofficial, while electronic timing is considered official because of human error.
John Ross Pre Draft Strengths And Weaknesses
Strengths
Has home-run gear to take the top off of defenses
Scouts were most excited about John Ross’ breakaway speed when he entered the league.
In his 40 seconds, you can see John Ross’ speed is special. However, he didn’t use this speed to blow away defenses.
Ross earned three touchdowns over fifty yards throughout his career, which isn’t bad, but after five years in the league, you can expect him to be able to produce more.
Escapes the first tackler and can turn a short one into a long one in a heartbeat
Another strength scouts looked for in Ross was his ability to run after the catch. However, Ross never managed to run more than 200 yards after the catch in a season.
The top receivers earn 400-800 yards of yac per year, so Ross’s first five years in the league were noticeably below what scouts expected.
Weaknesses
Injury Concerns
Ross had major knee surgeries before entering the NFL, which knocked him out of the draft.
It was a concern for teams to re-injure either of these knees.
Ross never played more than thirteen games in a single season during the first five seasons of his NFL career.
Ross was frequently placed on the injury report and on injured reserve due to injuries.
This concludes our article on John Ross’ 40 time. See Tyreek Hill’s or Rashod Bateman’s for references.