HEADLINES

John Metchie

WR Draft Notes: Commanders, Cowboys, Bucs, Saints, Jets

April 5th, 2022 at 4:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

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

January 14th, 2022 at 4:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

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.