Former Washington Huskies wide receiver John Ross III joined the Cincinnati Bengals. Now, the speedster of the NFL Combine hopes to join an elite club of rookie wide receivers who catch over 1000 yards

Former Washington Huskies wide receiver John Ross emerged from the PAC-12 as one of the deadliest receiving threats in the NCAA. On one hand, In his final season of Huskies football, he pulled in 81 passes for 1150 yards and 17 touchdowns. On the other hand, he will attempt to duplicate that sort of season in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals as the ninth player selected in the 2017 NFL Draft.

As a matter of fact, it won’t be easy.

Shoulder Surgery

After the 2017 NFL Combine, Ross III elected to have surgery to repair a torn labrum suffered during the game against the Stanford Cardinals. Since that time, he has been enduring an onslaught of misinformation about his injuries, many he has not had. He shared his frustration with Cincinnati.com’s Paul Dehner Jr. :

“I tore the labrum blocking and playing one of the most physical teams in our conference in Stanford,” Ross said of those questioning his physicality at 5-11, 190 pounds. “I don’t think people understand. Some people don’t watch the film so I feel like there’s no need to defend yourself sometimes. Imagine if I was healthy is what I can pitch to people.”

Frustrated or not, the surgery has delayed Ross’ workouts with the team. Right now, spring OTAs (organized team activities) familiarize rookies with the team and teammates. Due to his surgery, Ross has not been participating in team activities yet.