NFL Spin Zone
Fansided

Cincinnati Bengals Film Room: John Ross

By Kevin Parvizi

Apr 27, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; John Ross (Washington) poses with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell (right) as he is selected as the number 9 overall pick to the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 27, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; John Ross (Washington) poses with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell (right) as he is selected as the number 9 overall pick to the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 3
Next
Apr 27, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; John Ross (Washington) poses with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell (right) as he is selected as the number 9 overall pick to the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 27, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; John Ross (Washington) poses with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell (right) as he is selected as the number 9 overall pick to the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

The Cincinnati Bengals missed the playoffs in 2016, but hope that rookie John Ross can help remedy their issues. Looking at the film, can he do that?

With the ninth overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals decided to surprise some people by taking Washington wide receiver John Ross, who comes into the league with a shoulder injury and potentially serious long-term knee concerns. That said, Ross also set the record for the fastest 40-yard dash ever at the NFL Combine, clocking in at 4.22. And his college film tells the story of an athlete with an unnatural ability to change direction on the fly.

Draft picks are made for the long-term, but I have a feeling that Marvin Lewis and the Bengals are hoping that Ross can be an immediate difference-maker. Lewis seems almost immortal at this stage, but a second straight missed playoff appearance could always spell doom for the NFL’s less successful version of Arsene Wenger. If Ross can live up to his draft stock, the Bengals could have one of the league’s most exciting wide receiver duos.

Marvin Jones was hardly a superstar wide receiver for the  Bengals, but A.J. Green’s “Robin” had himself a strong 2015 season before moving on to the Detroit Lions. Jones caught 65 passes for 816 yards in 2015, and the Bengals replaced him with Brandon LaFell, who posted similar numbers with 64 receptions for 862 yards.

The problem is that he was far less effective than Jones statistically, as he compiled similar numbers merely by benefiting from the six games that Green missed. Jones had a higher catch rate than LaFell did in his lone season with the Bengals thus far. Furthermore, while rookie Tyler Boyd chipped in with 54 receptions of his own, he also had a lower catch rate than Mohamed Sanu (now with the Atlanta Falcons) did in 2015.

Cincinnati’s offense finished 14th in the league in net yards per pass attempt. Andy Dalton isn’t exactly an Internet darling and is, more or less, a mediocre quarterback. However, Dalton was one of the top performers at the position in 2015 with a 106.1 QB Rating, and it isn’t far-fetched to think that he could put up strong numbers in 2017 with better production from his receivers.

So how does Ross help that? Let’s go to the film.

Home/Cincinnati Bengals