“It feels good to really be a part of the team,” Ross told the team website. “Being an inner city kid, not having that much growing up, just to come in and see a number like that is a bit different,” Ross said. “I’m thankful to be able to even be in this position.”
His signing was an unusual move for the Bengals, who usually lock up the lower draft picks before reaching a deal with the first-round pick last.
“It’s great for John that this part of it is out of the way,” Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said in a release. “This gives him the opportunity to focus on finishing school and then football and I think that’s important.”
The four-year contract includes a club option for a fifth year.
The 5-foot-11, 188-pound Ross did not participate in rookie camp because he is still recovering from labrum surgery. And due to an NFL rule for players that attend schools on a quarters system, he will be ineligible participate in any other offseason drills until after his class graduates June 10.
Ross will be one of the University of Washington students wearing a cap and gown as he earns his degree in American Ethnic Studies.
“Emotional for my family,” Ross said on Bengals.com. “The biggest thing is just to see how happy my family is. That’s really the biggest part. When I see them. I’m the first generation to go to a university and just to see how happy it’s s going to make my mom and my grandmothers.”
Lawson signed a four-year deal.
“I’m just happy to get it done,” he told the team website. “I’m ready to go to work.”
The Bengals list the 6-2, 261-pound Lawson as a linebacker, but they worked him at SAM during rookie camp in addition to his regular spot at defensive end, which is where he played at Auburn.
The 2017 Bengals draft choices still unsigned are running back Joe Mixon (second round, Oklahoma), defensive end Jordan Willis (third round, Kansas State), wide receiver Josh Malone (fourth round, Tennessee), defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow (fourth round, Michigan), kicker Jake Elliott (fifth round, Memphis), offensive lineman J.J. Dielman (fifth round, Utah), linebacker Jordan Evans (sixth round, Oklahoma), safety Brandon Wilson (sixth round, Houston) and tight end Mason Schreck (seventh round, Buffalo).
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