In an interview immediately after being selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in Round 1 of the 2017 NFL Draft, wide receiver John Ross said he felt there was a good chance he would be selected by the Bengals after his visit with the team.
“I got an amazing vibe from coach Lewis and the owner, Mr. Brown,” Ross told the Pac-12 Network. “The offensive coordinator, we had a great talk. I left that visit, immediately called my agent and said, ‘don’t be surprised if I get picked at 9’ just because I felt so good about the visit.”
Ross’ visit to Cincinnati came on the weekend of April 15, among the last days players were allowed to visit NFL teams before the draft. Ross’ trip to Cincinnati was his final pre-draft visit and on it, the Bengals reportedly decided Ross’ shoulder injury wasn’t a concern. Ross said on Thursday that he expects to be cleared in July and he should be able to participate in training camp.
"Honestly, he gives me coach Petersen vibes," Ross told Chase Goodbread of NFL.com of Marvin Lewis after his visit. “The way they build a brotherhood in their locker rooms, and the way everyone's treated with respect, it sounded familiar. He's got an open-door policy just like coach Petersen. Anyone can come to him. He talked about playing fast.”
Ross initially injured his shoulder early in the 2016 season and aggravated it in the Huskies' College Football Playoff semifinal loss to Alabama on December 31. Ross reportedly had surgery shortly after the NFL Scouting Combine in early March, after he broke the 40-yard dash record with a 4.22 second time.
Ross said he’s excited to come play alongside A.J. Green and added he anticipates his former teammate at Washington, Danny Shelton, a first round pick by the Browns in 2015, will give him some pointers on playing in the AFC North.
“I’m just so happy,” Ross said.
He certainly sounds it.