SEATTLE, WA - OCTOBER 22: Wide receiver John Ross #1 of the Washington Huskies makes a catch against the Oregon State Beavers on October 22, 2016 at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
Everyone already knew that University of Washington wide receiver John Ross was a good football player thanks to his breakout junior season. Ross snagged 81 balls for 1,150 yards and a whopping 17 touchdowns in 2016, cementing himself as one of the best deep threats in all of college football. But despite these gaudy numbers, it was another stat that had nothing to do with real football that put the speedster on the map.
At the 2017 NFL Combine, Ross ran a blistering 4.22 second 40-yard dash, breaking the previous all-time record of 4.24 held by Rondel Menendez and Chris Johnson.
Clearly, Ross can fly. But does he think he’s better than CJ2k?
COED sat down with Ross at the VIP Style Lounge ahead of the 2017 NFL Draft to get an answer.
“It meant a lot [breaking Johnson’s record] just because it was sitting for so long,” Ross told us (Johnson posted that record in 2008). “You appreciate guys like that who set standards so high and give you something to chase after.”
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Yeah, yeah, yeah…But do you think you’re better, Ross?
“Well, we play two different positions so it’s kind of hard to just say I’m going to be better than him…He had a lot of accolades that I can contribute to, so I plan to make as much noise as he did.”
Ah Ross, ever the diplomatic and well behaved prospect, eh?
In three seasons at Washington, Ross caught 114 passes for 1,729 yards and 22 touchdowns while averaging 16.3 yards-per-catch.
Will he be a better pro than Johnson? That’s a tall order, but anything is possible with his unparalleled speed.
