Massive Cincinnati Bengals Bust Gets Another Shot With Philadelphia Eagles

Before his record was broken by new Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy, John Ross held the NFL record for the fastest 40-yard dash.

Ross ran a 4.22-second 40-yard dash, breaking the record of former Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson, who ran a 4.24-second 40-yard dash.

This NFL Scouting Combine performance caused Ross to skyrocket in potential prospect value. So much so, that the Cincinnati Bengals decided to take him with the No. 9 overall pick.

The Cincinnati Bengals took John Ross over several elite NFL players

When the Bengals decided to select John Ross with their early first-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, they passed up on a wide selection of future elite NFL players.

The most notable player passed up by the Bengals was quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who has since won three Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Other NFL players the Bengals passed up on to select John Ross that have since carved out NFL careers that are anywhere from solid to elite are:

• Cornerback Marshon Lattimore (New Orleans Saints)
• Quarterback Deshaun Watson (Houston Texans)
• Linebacker Haason Reddick (Arizona Cardinals)
• Cornerback Marlon Humphrey (Baltimore Ravens)
• Defensive lineman Jonathan Allen (Washington Commanders)
• Cornerback Tre’Davious White (Buffalo Bills)
• Edge Rusher T.J. Watt (Pittsburgh Steelers)
• Safety Budda Baker (Arizona Cardinals)
• Running back Dalvin Cook (Minnesota Vikings)
• Cornerback Adoree Jackson (Tennessee Titans)
• Tackle Garrett Bolles (Denver Broncos)
• Safety Jabrill Peppers (Cleveland Browns)
• Tight End David Njoku (Cleveland Browns)
• Tackle Ryan Ramczyk (New Orleans Saints)
• Wide Receiver Curtis Samuel (Carolina Panthers)

Many claim John Ross’ attitude prevented him from success with the Cincinnati Bengals

While Ross showed flashes of brilliance during his time in the NFL, he was never able to compete at the level that was expected of a No. 9 overall pick.

His time on an active roster, which spanned from 2017 to 2021, only saw one season in which he had more than 224 yards receiving.

He accrued 957 career receiving yards and 11 career receiving touchdowns. Noticeable lack of effort and poor attitude turned many Bengals fans against Ross during his short time with the time. Things like not laying out for deep balls to help a young Joe Burrow cause fans and the organization to give up on Ross.

Ross himself said in an article from Sports Illustrated that he didn’t listen to advice in his younger days and that he thought he could rely on his speed to bring him success in high-level football.

“In college, someone gave me advice. I never listened,” Ross said. “Hau’oli Kikaha used to tell me ‘bro, you’re so fast, you’re like a Ferrari. You need to take care of your body.’ He said ‘do you see people driving a Ferrari everyday?’

“It was a great analogy because you don’t. That’s not an everyday car. So what he’s trying to tell me is ‘you’re not built like I am. You’re not like an everyday go hard type of person. You got to take care of your body a different way than I have to because you run at a different speed. Your body just translates to workouts different than the average player.’

“It didn’t make sense to me because I felt like ‘I’m playing at a high level. We’re playing at the same high level. The things that you can do I definitely can do.’ As I get older I definitely learn. Speaking to DeSean Jackson, A.J. Green and Darqueze Dennard — those guys have been the three biggest guys in my career that always sit back and tell me a bunch of things and give me great advice.”

An older, wiser Ross will have another chance with the Philadelphia Eagles. Many of the players selected in the same draft as him are currently in their prime, so it is not too late for Ross to make a resurgence. Even if Ross lost a step, he would still be one of the fastest players in the NFL.