I was drafted one pick before Patrick Mahomes and ran a scorching 4.2 in the 40-yard dash, but I ended up as a first-round bust and washed out of the NFL

Mitch Trubisky is no better than Patrick Mahomes.

Every NFL fan in the world knows this.

But in the 2017 draft, the Chicago Bears surprised the league by taking Trubisky second overall, despite a limited playing career at the University of North Carolina.

Most surprising, however, is what happened to the choice. Before Mahomes went to Kansas City at No. 10.

The Chiefs traded with the Buffalo Bills for the right to sign Mahomes from Texas Tech.

The Cincinnati Bengals held the No. 9 selection, with Mahomes still available on everyone’s draft board.

Cincy could have recruited an already very talented QB who had MLB potential and set NCAA records in college.

Instead, the Bengals opted for a lightning-fast 5-foot-11 wide receiver out of the University of Washington.

John Ross became the No. 9 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and was selected one pick ahead of a franchise QB who now owns three Super Bowl rings and has replaced Tom Brady as the face of football.

Ross was compared during the pre-draft process to DeSean Jackson and ran a scorching 4.22 in the 40-yard dash.

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“An instant impact weapon who scored 23 touchdowns in just 112 touches,” writes the official NFL website. “He should be able to step in as a kick returner and slot receiver.

“If his knees prove healthy, Ross is likely a first-round pick with the rare ability to become a high-volume receiver or less-targeted, high-output deep ball threat.”

But Ross suffered an ACL injury in college and he was never close to his top 10 pick in the NFL draft.

He played in just three games as a rookie, started just 21 games in his five-year career and never made the Pro Bowl.

After four years, the Bengals emerged from their first-round failure.

Ross spent a year with the New York Giants, starting one game and catching a touchdown, and that was it.

The player drafted one pick before Mahomes in 2017 was out of the league in 2023.

Ross finished his NFL career with 62 catches, 957 yards and 11 touchdowns in 37 games (21 starts).

Ironically, Ross briefly joined Mahomes’ Chiefs, but he was at the bottom of the rankings and announced his retirement before training camp ended.

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Cincinnati had to wait until 2020 to put Joe Burrow at No. 1, and the Bengals are still trying to beat the AFC Chiefs.

Kansas City moved up to 10th place once the Bengals made their move, and the Chiefs never looked back.

Ross was undone by his prior question marks.

“Undersized with below-average play strength,” NFL.com wrote. “I struggled to get into his routes cleanly and impact the game against physical cornerbacks.”

Mahomes dominated the NFL, received the biggest contract in sports and became Brady’s heir.

The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft will take place Thursday in Detroit.

Caleb Williams is expected to be the No. 1 pick and has been compared to the QB Cincy passed on in 2017.