Standouts from the Combine, March 4

University of Washington receiver John Ross ran the 40-yard dash in a record-setting 4.22 seconds at the National Football League scouting combine Saturday, but he wasn’t wearing the right shoes to win a prize of an island. Ohio State’s Samuel Curtis had the second-fastest 40-yard dash, completing the drill in 4.31 seconds.

“I’m going to try, ” said Ross, who with the rest of the receivers will be timed Saturday. “I’m good. I just have to think”.

Ross pulled up at the end of the run with tightness and opted not to run again, so his official time would have to be made from his only run.

So fast, in fact, that he never really needed to learn the finer points of playing wide receiver until recently. They featured a litter of good receivers past year who could make things happen after the catch, but nobody really stretched the field vertically. As a matter of fact, Ross has superior speed and quickness to that of Brown. “You just can’t run past everybody”. I was basically just running out there. Missing most of the combine because of a minor issue is not a good look for Ross, regardless of how fast he ran. He was a wide receiver that never caught more than 43 passes in a season in college, with a total of 13 touchdowns in his college career.

Oddly enough, Ross chalks up his success this past season to the injury and the resulting recovery process.

The pair last talked two weeks ago. The receiver did, however, hint that he would try his best to break the record before the combine.

Johnson tweeted to Ross: Congrats. Ross was fifth in the vertical jump at 37 inches and third in the broad jump at 11-feet 1-inch.

His only drawback might be medical. He already had microfracture surgery on one knee, tore the ACL in the other and now has a labrum tear that is schedule to be surgically repaired March 14.

Earlier at the combine, Ross said he met with the Steelers and coach Mike Tomlin. “I’ll definitely be fine”.

Ross is projected as a mid-first-rounder right now, but his performance on Saturday could push him into the conversation for the first wideout drafted.

When a guy can move like Ross, though, a lack of size only matters so much.

“We are always looking for guys who can help us and guys who can make us better”, Carroll explained.

“It meant a lot to me just to finish on a high note”, said Thomas, who came in at 6-foot-3 and 273 pounds.