Kansas City Chiefs GM explains why he signed Clemson WR Justyn Ross

Former Clemson star Justyn Ross signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Kansas City Chiefs over the weekend.

Ross’ concerning injury history kept him from hearing his name called on draft day, despite a longstanding projection that he had the talent to be a 1st round pick.

On Tuesday, Kansas City Chiefs GM Brett Veach spoke about Ross’ potential with the team.

“There’s a lot of these guys that are really in the same boat in that when you come in here, it’s a combination of talent, being smart, staying on top of the training — and that means when you’re away from the facility too,” Veach said, via the Kansas City Star

. “So, like a lot of these young guys, if he does those things, given the talent he has, he should be able to come here and potentially contribute.”

Ross missed the entire 2020 season with a neck injury, which evidently was enough for teams to pass on Ross during the draft. He also battled a foot injury last season and missed multiple games.

However, Veach said Ross was cleared medically. Given Ross’ talent, his health is likely to be his biggest hurdle to carving out an NFL career.

Over 3 seasons at Clemson, he caught 158 passes for 2,379 yards and 20 touchdowns.

“I think talent-wise, as long as he stays healthy, he’ll have a shot,” Veach said.