Pre-draft Coming out of college, Ross was predicted to be selected in the first round by draft experts and analysts. He was considered one of the top wide receivers and was ranked the second best by NFL analyst
Bucky Brooks before the combine. As a top wide receiver prospect, he received an invitation to the
NFL Combine and broke
Chris Johnson's 4.24 record time in the
40-yard dash. Ross finished with a 4.22, but strained his calves while pulling up at the end of his run. The calf injuries hindered his ability to complete all the set combine drills or run his second attempt at the 40-yard dash. Ross' 4.22 40 yard dash time would stand as the NFL Combine record for 7 years, broken by
Xavier Worthy in 2024 with a 4.21. Ross attended Washington's Pro Day, but only ran positional drills. The next day, he had surgery to repair a torn
labrum in his shoulder. He was ranked as the third best wide receiver prospect in the draft by
ESPN and was ranked the second best wide receiver prospect by
Sports Illustrated and NFLDraftScout.com.
Cincinnati Bengals 2017 season The
Cincinnati Bengals selected Ross in the first round (9th overall) of the
2017 NFL draft. He was the third wide receiver to be selected after
Corey Davis and
Mike Williams. On May 7, 2017, the Bengals signed Ross to a four-year, $17.1 million contract with a signing bonus of $10.6 million. Ross competed with
Brandon LaFell,
Cody Core,
Tyler Boyd and
Josh Malone throughout training camp to be the starting wide receiver alongside
A. J. Green. Although he was a first round pick, head coach
Marvin Lewis named him the sixth wide receiver on the depth chart to begin the regular season. On September 14, 2017, Ross made his professional regular season debut on
Thursday Night Football against the
Houston Texans after missing the season-opener due to a knee injury. He fumbled his first and only carry of the game, and was subsequently benched after gaining only 12 rushing yards as the Bengals lost, 13–9. That carry proved to be his only touch of his rookie season, as he was only active for two out of the next 10 games and did not record any statistics. A knee injury caused him to miss Weeks 3–5 while the rest were healthy scratches. He was placed on
injured reserve on December 4, 2017, with a shoulder injury, ending his rookie season. His debut season was variously described as "wasted", "disappointing" and "disastrous", with Lewis coming under some criticism for his management of Ross.
2018 season In the 2018 season opener against the
Indianapolis Colts, Ross recorded his first professional touchdown on a three-yard reception in the 34–23 victory. In the 2018 season, Ross had 21 receptions for 210 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns.
2019 season During Week 1 against the
Seattle Seahawks, Ross posted seven catches for 158 receiving yards and two touchdowns, but the Bengals lost a close game, 21–20. During Week 2 against the
San Francisco 49ers, Ross finished with four catches for 112 receiving yards and a touchdown as the Bengals lost, 41–17. In only the first two games of the 2019 season, Ross compiled more receiving yards than his initial two NFL seasons combined. On October 2, 2019, the Bengals placed Ross on
injured reserve as a result of his shoulder injury. He was designated for return from injured reserve on November 13, 2019, and began practicing with the team again. On December 3, 2019, Ross was activated from injured reserve. Overall, Ross finished the 2019 season with 28 receptions for 506 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.
2020 season On May 2, 2020, the Bengals declined the fifth-year option on Ross' contract, making him a free agent in 2021. He was placed on the reserve/
COVID-19 list by the team on August 12, after he left training camp to tend to his son who tested positive for the virus. He was activated from the list on August 23. On October 30, 2020, Ross
tweeted that "It's not a secret that I have requested a trade." Despite Ross' statement, he was not traded by the NFL trade deadline. He had been placed on the Bengals' inactive list four of the Bengals previous five games as a "healthy scratch" before he was placed on injured reserve on November 14, 2020, after suffering a foot injury in practice. He finished the season playing in three games recording only two receptions for 17 yards and zero touchdowns.
New York Giants On March 19, 2021, Ross signed a one-year $2.5 million contract with the
New York Giants. He was placed on injured reserve on September 1, 2021, to start the season. He was activated on October 2. In a week 4 game against the
New Orleans Saints, Ross saw his first playing time of the season due to injuries to wide receivers
Sterling Shepard and
Darius Slayton. Ross recorded three catches for 77 yards and a touchdown in the 27–21 win. He appeared in ten games in the 2021 season. He finished with 11 receptions for 224 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.
Kansas City Chiefs On January 9, 2023, Ross signed a reserve/future contract with the
Kansas City Chiefs. On July 26, Ross informed the Chiefs he was retiring. They subsequently placed him on the reserve/retired list. On November 27, 2023, Ross announced he was seeking a comeback and would be coming out of retirement. The Chiefs waived him the same day, and he entered free agency.
Philadelphia Eagles On May 23, 2024, Ross signed a one-year contract with the
Philadelphia Eagles. He was released on August 27. He was re-signed to the practice squad on September 24. Ross was released by the Eagles on December 3.
Birmingham Stallions On February 4, 2026, Ross signed with the
Birmingham Stallions of the
United Football League (UFL). He was released on May 6. ==Career statistics==