Former Clemson wide receiver Justyn Ross made waves around the NFL world on Thursday when he reeled in an incredible one-handed snag during Kansas City Chiefs practice.
One of the many football figures to take notice was his quarterback, Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes took to Twitter with a message of praise for his new receiver. And when asked about Ross during his Thursday press conference, the superstar QB doubled-down.
“Yeah, I mean, you still see the talent. I think that’s the first thing,” Mahomes said, per NBC’s ProFootballTalk. “I know people saw the catch on Twitter, but it’s just the way he catches the football out of the air. He snatches it — there’s no drops or anything like that. Now it’s about him learning the NFL offense. That’s how it is for every rookie when they come in, is, you don’t see that top talent that they can be until they learn and they can just play fast. And I think you’ve seen that. You’ve seen those flashes of how talented he can be. And then you’ve seen times where he’s just barely off of what we wanted. And he learns from that, he doesn’t make that same mistake.
“And so, the more and more reps that he gets, I can only imagine how good he’s going to be because of the talent he possesses.”
The Chiefs signed Ross as an undrafted free agent after he slid all the way out of draft consideration in this year’s selection process. The former Clemson standout was once considered a consensus first-round talent before a serious medical condition derailed his collegiate career.
After undergoing surgery to repair a congenital fusion in his spine in 2020, Ross returned to the field and logged 46 receptions for 514 yards and three touchdowns in 2021. Prior to the discovery of his back condition in 2020, the talented young wide receiver notched 1,865 yards and 17 touchdowns through his first two collegiate seasons.
The Chiefs selected Tyreek Hill with a fifth-round pick in the 2016 draft. Perhaps Ross can evolve into Kansas City’s 2022 diamond in the rough.