Photo courtesy of Cincinnati Bengals.  

The NFL draft picks over the last couple of days included multiple Long Beach athletes including Jonathan Ross and Juju Smith-Schuster who both played in Snoop Dogg’s Youth Football League.

Cincinnati Bengals drafted Ross, Washington State’s wide receiver and Jordan High School alumnus, in the first round as the ninth overall pick.

Ross has a record-setting speed of 4.2 seconds in the 40-yard dash and holds a collegiate record of 23 touchdowns on 112 touches. At 5 feet,11 inches he is the third of head coach Marvin Lewis’ 15 drafts to be shorter than six feet.

Ross also received a personal video message delivered by Snoop himself, congratulating Ross and recalling the first time he met him in the parking lot at Compton High School.

“To look at you now and see you about to be drafted into the NFL, so proud of you,” Snoop said in the video. “You make the Snoop Youth Football League look great every time you step out, every time you do an interview, every time you make a play. We love you John Ross.”

Photo courtesy of Pittsburgh Steelers.

Smith-Schuster, a wide receiver at USC and Long Beach Poly alumnus, was selected in the second round by the Pittsburgh Steelers as the 62nd overall pick. At 20 years old, he is the youngest player in this year’s NFL draft.

Additionally, fellow Poly High School alumnus and UCLA linebacker Jayon Brown was picked by the Tennessee Titans.