# Ross Blacklock

Ross Blacklock (born July 9, 1998) is an American professional football defensive end for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the TCU Horned Frogs.

## Early life

Blacklock's father, Jimmy, played for and later served as a coach for the Harlem Globetrotters. Growing up in Missouri City, Texas, Blacklock became a football star at Elkins High School. Following his senior season for the Knights, he was selected to play in the 2016 U.S. Army All-American Game and verbally committed to play college football at TCU during the broadcast of the game.

## College career

After redshirting during his first season on campus in Fort Worth, Blacklock became a full-time starter as a redshirt freshman in 2017, helping lead the Frogs to the program's first-ever berth in the Big 12 Championship Game and a win in the 2017 Alamo Bowl over Stanford. His individual performance earned him Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors as well as Freshman All-American honors from the Football Writers Association of America.
In August 2018, Blacklock suffered an injury caused him to miss his entire sophomore season. Nine months later, he was cleared by doctors to return for his junior season in 2019. Following a junior season where he was named to the first-team All-Big 12, Blacklock announced that he would forgo his senior season and declare for the 2020 NFL draft.

## Professional career

Pre-draft measurables :
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump |
| 6 ft 3+1⁄8 in (1.91 m) | 290 lb (132 kg) | 32+3⁄8 in (0.82 m) | 9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) | 4.90 s | 1.70 s | 2.86 s | 4.67 s | 7.77 s | 29.0 in (0.74 m) | 8 ft 11 in (2.72 m) |
| All values from NFL Combine |||||||||||

### Houston Texans

Blacklock was selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft with the 40th pick by the Houston Texans, their first choice in the draft. The Texans originally obtained this pick in the trade that sent DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals for David Johnson.
In Week 2 against the Baltimore Ravens, Blacklock was ejected from the game late in the fourth quarter after throwing a punch. In his first year as a professional, Blacklock did not live up to expectations. He finished his first season with 14 tackles, including one tackle for a loss, and no sacks.

### Minnesota Vikings

On August 30, 2022, Blacklock and a seventh-round pick were traded to the Minnesota Vikings for a sixth-round pick. He was waived on August 29, 2023.

### Jacksonville Jaguars

On September 4, 2023, Blacklock was signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad. He was released on October 23.

### Indianapolis Colts

On October 24, 2023, the Indianapolis Colts signed Blacklock to their practice squad. He was released on October 30.

### Tennessee Titans

On November 15, 2023, the Tennessee Titans signed Blacklock to their practice squad. He was signed to the active roster on December 30.

### New York Giants

On December 10, 2024, the New York Giants signed Blacklock to their practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 6, 2025.