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LOOK: Former Clemson star Justyn Ross jersey number revealed for Kansas City Chiefs

Wade-Peeryby:Wade Peery05/07/22
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(Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

Former Clemson star Justyn Ross was one of the most talked about undrafted free agents in the 2022 NFL Draft. Even though he wasn’t selected in the draft, he still got to pick his landing spot and it was a beautiful one–with the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes II–one of the best quarterbacks in the league. On Saturday, the Chiefs tweeted out a video revealing the former Clemson star’s jersey number and he’ll be keeping the same number he wore in college.

Check out his reaction to the video below.

At one point during his career, Ross was not wrong. Especially during his freshman season at Clemson, where he was truly an artist on the football field. The highlight of his college career was without a doubt, the 2019 College Football National Championship Game–where he eviscerated the Alabama Crimson Tide secondary to the tune of 153 receiving yards and one touchdown on six catches. The spectacular performance by Ross was instrumental in lifting the Tigers to a 44-16 blowout victory of the Tide.

The pick for the Chiefs provides tremendous upside at a remarkably low price, especially if the former Clemson star can regain the form that once made him one of college football’s biggest stars. Sure, there are plenty of medical and injury concerns surrounding his selection, but those were recently addressed by the Kansas City Chiefs GM and Ross has been officially cleared to play.

For more on his health status and more about his college football career, check out the report below from On3’s James Fletcher III.

Chiefs general manager Brett Veach provided an update on Justyn Ross’ health and his ability to compete for a spot on the regular season roster, via The Kansas City Star’s Herbie Teope.

In addition, the executive added that Ross will be given an opportunity to compete throughout the offseason “as long as he stays healthy.” After the Chiefs’ busy flurry of wide receiver additions, he added that “It’ll be a very interesting competition for only 5-6 spots.”

A spring football injury in 2020 led doctors to diagnose Ross with Klippel-Feil syndrome, something he was born with but slipped through the cracks well into his college career. The freshman standout then returned to play in 2021 after his doctors cleared him to do so, despite a general belief people with his condition should avoid high-impact activities.

Concerns from NFL teams about physicals and long-term health risks likely played a role in his slide out of the draft, despite his college production. But Kansas City feels confident in the medical they received and will give him a chance to earn his spot in the NFL.

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More on Justyn Ross

Once upon a time, Justyn Ross was a consensus future first round selection who worked alongside Tee Higgins and Amari Rodgers. However, when the time came for the former Clemson star, the pass catcher was undrafted, and his market moved slow in the days following.

Last season, Ross had 46 catches for 514 yards, catching three touchdowns before suffering a major foot injury.

Moreover, Ross arrived at Clemson as a four-star recruit and the top-ranked prospect in Alabama, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Before last season, the former Clemson star entered the year as the No. 5 wide receiver prospect in the ACC, according to Pro Football Focus. During the football season, CBS Sports projected him to go as high as No. 32 overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

While watching teams pass on him throughout the NFL Draft, Ross was motivated — tweeting, “Just need dat 1 chance.”

On3’s James Fletcher III also contributed to this article.