Justyn Ross is showing off his skills, and the Kansas City Chiefs are doing everything they can to build the hype.
It’s as if Tyreek Hill never left.
Okay, that’s a stretch, but judging by the way the Kansas City Chiefs are posting clips of someone making incredible catches and the way teammates are responding with awe and wonder, you’d think Hill was still in red and gold making everyone shake their head—the same way he’s done for the last six years. Instead, the player responsible is a rookie wide receiver, one who went undrafted at that: Justyn Ross.
Ross came into the offseason an NFL hopeful who was, at one point, a household name among college football fans after torching defenses in his freshman year at Clemson. Injuries took over from there after his sophomore season, including spine issues, and he was removed off of most draft boards entirely. The Chiefs were able to sign him as a rookie free agent after the 2022 NFL Draft and he’s been turning heads ever since.
In an offseason in which the Chiefs also selected a second round rookie in Skyy Moore out of Western Michigan, it seems unfair to focus on Ross so heavily. That’s also because the Chiefs imported other receivers like Marquez Valdes-Scantling and JuJu Smith-Schuster. However, it’s hard not to be enamored with Ross when he’s already making catches that make even the best players in football laugh.
It also doesn’t hurt Ross’s buzz to have the Chiefs own social media team hyping him up with clips like this. Check out the one-handed grab from phase three of OTA workouts on Wednesday.
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) May 25, 2022
Just know you’re not the one one who likely laughed out loud watching that catch. Patrick Mahomes himself was taken back by it but added even more context.
Craziest part about this was dude acted like this was normal after he caught it…@_jross8 https://t.co/KuJ4a8DEPu
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) May 25, 2022
From there, All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce stated that he also took notice, saying he got hype himself.
I felt like I was the only one that got hype when I saw it live!! WE NEED MORE JUICE!! @_jross8 😂😂 https://t.co/1yq1I4tRpH
— Travis Kelce (@tkelce) May 25, 2022
Yeah, we know it’s a long way to go from OTAs to training camp and even the regular season from there, but Ross is certainly looking the part of impact receiver like many predicted he would be before injuries took their toll. If he’s healthy (and can stay that way), the Chiefs might have something special on their hands.