Texans Acquire No. 44, Select WR John Metchie
The Texans have moved up to add to the receiving corps. Houston has traded picks 68, 108, 124 to the Browns for No. 44, using it to select WR John Metchie.
The other member of the dynamic Alabama receiving tandem involving Jameson Williams, Metchie had two highly productive years with the Crimson Tide. In 2020, he posted 916 yards and six touchdowns, but took an even bigger step this past campaign. In 13 games, he totalled 96 receptions for 1,142 yards and eight scores.
Unfortunately, the Canadian – just like Williams – ended his college career with a torn ACL. He is expected to be recovered in time for the start of the season, though. If that is the case, he should have at least a secondary role on Houston’s offense as a compliment to the recently re-signed Brandin Cooks. Cleveland, meanwhile, will continue a lengthy wait to make their first selection in this year’s draft.
Draft Rumors: Stingley, Jaguars, Alabama, Cine, Burks
According to Matt Miller of ESPN, Derek Stingley, Jr. is the hottest name in the 2022 NFL Draft right now. The LSU cornerback has long been considered one of the top-two cornerback prospects available, along with Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad Gardner. Miller claims that Stingley is trending as high as the top-three with the Lions or Texans rumored to be interested in him at No. 2 or 3 overall.
After a stellar freshman season, Stingley was easily viewed as the best cornerback that would be available by the 2022 Draft. But, after a subpar 2020 season and only appearing in three games last year, combined with another stellar season from Gardner, NFL teams have allowed a bit of room for Gardner to challenge as the best corner on the board. The NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah has Gardner ranked as the third-best prospect overall with Stingley at 15th, while Dane Brugler of The Athletic has Gardner at fifth overall with Stingley at 14th. Miller, though, seems to think Stingley won’t make it past the Seahawks at 9th overall on Thursday night.
Here are a few more notes for the upcoming Draft, starting with some speculation down in Duval:
- Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke let it be known on Friday that Jacksonville is considering four players for their number one overall draft pick this Thursday, according to Charean Williams of NBC Sports. Many mock drafts have them going with Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson or Georgia defensive lineman Travon Walker, but they’ve also had their name attached to Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal and NC State offensive lineman Ikem Ekwonu. It’s hard to imagine any other names entering the conversation for Jacksonville’s top pick.
- On their postseason run last year, college football powerhouse Alabama lost two of their top pass catchers in two of the biggest games of their season. John Metchie tore his ACL in the team’s SEC Championship victory over Georgia on December 4th. A little over a month later, Jameson Williams tore his ACL in the team’s National Championship game loss to Georgia on January 10th. According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, the two are progressing impressively in their recoveries, with that opinion being echoed by the NFL teams who have looked into their medical information. They may both be on track to play in the upcoming season, depending on how conservative of a team they end up with. The important thing, though, is that, while their stock may have been affected a bit by injury, they are both fully expected to hear their names called next week.
- Georgie safety Lewis Cine visited with the Buccaneers this week, according to Jenna Laine of ESPN. Cine led the Bulldogs in tackles and passes broken up for the season last year en route to being named the defensive MVP of the team’s National Championship victory over Alabama. According to Laine, when asked if signing Logan Ryan and Keanu Neal precluded them from drafting a safety, Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht simply replied, “No.”
- According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Arkansas wide receiver Treylon Burks added two more teams to his list of visits earlier this week. Burks met with the Bears and Cardinals as he continues to trend in the first round. Read more about Burks in his NFL Draft Prospect Profile here.
WR Draft Notes: Commanders, Cowboys, Bucs, Saints, Jets
One of two Ohio State wide receivers expected to become first-round picks later this month, Chris Olave will tour two NFC East teams’ facilities this week. The Cowboys are hosting Olave on a visit Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The former Justin Fields and C.J. Stroud pass catcher will also meet with the Commanders on Thursday, SI.com’s Albert Breer tweets. Olave and Terry McLaurin were teammates in 2018, Olave’s freshman year, and Breer adds the wideouts are close. Having traded for Carson Wentz, the Commanders (pick No. 11) are in need of a complementary pass catcher alongside McLaurin. They have not chosen a first-round wideout since Josh Doctson in 2016. The Cowboys (No. 24) have pulled the trigger on a first-round wideout recently — CeeDee Lamb in 2020 — but Jerry Jones based the Amari Cooper trade on resource allocation, and Dallas adding a low-cost wideout alongside Lamb and the rehabbing Michael Gallup would make sense. Though, the Cowboys are interested in offensive linemen as well.
Here is the latest from the wide receiver draft landscape:
- Also ranked as a first-round prospect, Arkansas’ Treylon Burks is meeting with a few teams this week. The Cowboys hosted the 225-pound playmaker Monday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, adding that the Buccaneers will meet with Burks later this week. The Saints are also hosted the 6-foot-2 target last week, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football tweets. It would surprise if the Bucs (No. 27) went wideout in Round 1, given their Mike Evans–Chris Godwin–Russell Gage setup, but the team could use a cheap building block due to employing three eight-figure-per-year wideouts. The Saints (Nos. 16, 19) are rather desperate for receiving help, with Michael Thomas having run into significant injury trouble over the past two years. New Orleans now has two first-round picks, putting wideout squarely in play.
- Also holding two first-round selections, the Jets have met with this draft’s top-graded wideout (per Scouts Inc.). Checking in as the No. 6 overall prospect, Garrett Wilson visited the Jets on Monday, Schefter adds (on Twitter). Wilson and Olave formed a top-end duo last season, with the former leading the Buckeyes with 1,058 receiving yards. The Jets have the Nos. 4 and 10 picks and have been linked to receivers throughout the offseason.
- The tallest of this year’s elite receiver prospects will hold a late pro day. Drake London pushed his pro day to April 15 due to a hamstring issue, Rapoport tweets. The 6-foot-3 USC product ranks as Scouts Inc.’s No. 9 overall prospect.
- John Metchie checks in as a second-round prospect, but teams are still doing work on the Alabama contributor. The Commanders are using a “30” visit on Metchie on Friday, Breer adds. The former DeVonta Smith/Jaylen Waddle sidekick joins Crimson Tide first-round prospect Jameson Williams in coming off a major injury. A December ACL tear damaged Metchie’s draft stock.
Alabama WR John Metchie Declares For Draft
Alabama will send two injured wide receivers to the draft. Following Jameson Williams‘ Thursday declaration, teammate John Metchie indicated Friday he will pass on his senior year to enter the draft, per ESPN.com’s Chris Low.
Metchie entered last season with a higher profile than Williams, having played extensively alongside DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle in 2020. After a 916-yard season alongside the two first-round talents, Metchie became a bigger part of the offense as a junior. He finished this season with 96 catches for 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns. However, the ACL tear the 6-foot pass catcher suffered in the SEC championship game kept him out for the Crimson Tide’s final two contests and will affect his draft stock.
With Metchie not viewed as highly as Williams going into the draft, this injury may solidify him missing out on a first-round selection. Still, Scouts Inc. has the two-year Crimson Tide contributor as the No. 6 wideout in this upcoming class and the No. 42 overall prospect. Williams has graded out as the ESPN scouting service’s top receiver available. Injuries to each may cloud their stock going into the April draft, though ACL tears are obviously not as damaging as they once were to careers.
Alabama has seen four wideouts — Waddle, Smith, Henry Ruggs and Jerry Jeudy — be drafted in the first round since 2020. Williams and Metchie’s statuses will be less certain, given the likelihood neither will be available for full work until at least training camp. But each will almost certainly be an early selection.