John Metchie III was the ninth receiver off the board in the stacked 2022 NFL Draft class, selected by the Texans with the 44th overall pick. But similar to fellow Alabama wideout Jameson Williams, Metchie could have gone even earlier in the draft had he not suffered season-ending injury at the end of the 2021 season.
Metchie, 21, was part of a one-two punch alongside Williams at Alabama in 2021. Metchie has been lauded as a solid route-runner and athlete with good hands who can line up outside and in the slot. His impressive college production vaulted him high on draft boards, wrapping up his third of three seasons in Tuscaloosa with 96 catches for 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns over 13 games.
During his tenure with the Crimson Tide, he also played alongside receivers NFL Jerry Jeudy, Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith.
Metchie unfortunately went down with a non-contact injury during the SEC Championship Game against Georgia, which was later revealed to be a torn ACL in his left knee. As such, he did not participate in the combine. Since the injury occurred a bit earlier than Williams’, there is a chance Metchie plays in Week 1, but lingering concerns about his health certainly knocked his value down in this year’s draft.
Metchie also loses marks for his size.
Standing at 5-foot-11 and 187 pounds, Metchie barely checks the box for physical stature, which could hurt him when lining up against physical secondaries. His height/weight will likely limit him to more snaps out of the slot at the NFL level.
John Metchie Fantasy Football Outlook
Landing Spot Grade: B
The Texans aren’t a great landing spot, but they’re also not the worst.
The jury is out on 2021 third-round pick Davis Mills, who played in 13 games last season (11 starts), completing 66.8% of his passes for 2,664 yards, 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. In fairness to Mills, 23, the Texans’ receiving depth fell off a cliff after the 28-year-old Brandin Cooks, who will be Metchie’s only real competition for targets.
After Cooks are Nico Collins, Chris Conley, Phillip Dorsett II and DeSean Hamilton. There will likely be more than enough targets up for grabs for Metchie once he is healthy.
2022 Fantasy Potential: WR3/4 upside when healthy
I am probably not drafting Metchie, but if his recovery goes well, he could be an interesting early-season waiver wire pickup/bye week fill-in given the lack of depth in Houston’s receiving corps.
At this point, he carries more dynasty intrigue than anything else.
