There was perhaps no first-round draft pick from the 2017 class that was more disappointing than wide receiver John Ross, the ninth-overall selection by the Cincinnati Bengals, and the second wide receiver that the team had drafted in the top two rounds over the course of the previous two drafts.
Touted primarily as a speed demon, Ross established a new Combine 40-yard dash record with a blazing mark officially timed at 4.22 seconds, the fastest ever recorded in that venue. But he was also regarded as a player who might struggle with the physicality of the NFL, and during his rookie season, he hardly got the opportunity to show it.