Report: Ninth pick from the 2017 NFL Draft is attending Eagles rookie minicamp on a tryout basis

Interesting.

The Philadelphia Eagles are set to host free agent wide receiver John Ross — the No. 9 overall pick from the 2017 NFL Draft — at the NovaCare Complex during their upcoming rookie minicamp. Ross will be attending practices on a tryout basis, according to a report from NFL insider Mike Garafolo.

Ross, who’s somehow only 28, hasn’t played in the NFL since the 2021 season. He retired from football last July after participating in just a few training camp practices with the Kansas City Chiefs.

It’s not extremely common for recognizable veterans to participate in rookie minicamps but it’s also not totally unheard of. Some players have seemingly tried to use it as a way to remind teams of their existence (see: Riley Cooper’s unsurprisingly failed attempt in 2017).

The Eagles showed a lot of interest in Ross leading up to the 2017 NFL Draft. He was one of five players they reportedly liked at No. 14 but obviously he didn’t make it to their pick.

Ross struggled with inconsistency and injury issues after being drafted; he appeared in just 37 out of 81 possible games over his first five seasons. His 143 career targets have resulted in 62 receptions for 957 yards (15.4 average) and 11 touchdowns.

If Ross can still run anything like he did when he blazed a 4.22 second 40-yard dash (record breaking at the time), well, perhaps the Eagles will sign him to their 90-player offseason roster. No harm in giving him a look to see if he can make the team, especially as the Eagles seek a replacement for the old Quez Watkins role (low volume target with big play ability).

To see more Eagles rookie minicamp tryout players, check out our UDFA tracker post.