Canadian receiver John Metchie III was selected by the Houston Texans with the 44th overall selection in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
The Texans traded up to scoop up the coveted pass catcher ahead of the Baltimore Ravens, ensuring young quarterback Davis Mills will have a reliable receiver to aid his development. Houston sent Cleveland three picks (one third rounder and two fourths) in exchange for the selection used to choose Metchie III.
He was the second Crimson Tide pass catcher off the board this year, following Jameson Williams who was selected 12th overall by the Detroit Lions.
Projected by many as a first round pick entering the 2021 season, the native of Brampton, ON started 13 games for the University of Alabama as a true junior and earned second-team All-Southeastern Conference honours. He recorded a team-high 96 receptions for 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns, before suffering a torn ACL in his knee during the SEC Championship game and seeing his stock fall.
Metchie III first burst onto the NCAA scene in 2020 as a key component of an Alabama receiving group that featured two first-round picks, including Heisman winner DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle. The six-foot, 195-pound Canuck caught 55 passes for 916 yards and six touchdowns as a sophomore, becoming the first Canadian in 17 years to win an NCAA national title.
The two-time winner of the Jon Cornish Trophy as the top Canadian player in the NCAA has drawn comparisons to five-time Pro Bowl receiver Jarvis Landry due to his slick route running and versatility to play outside or in the slot.
Metchie III was born in Taiwan and lived in Ghana before moving to Canada at the age of six. He began playing amateur football in Ontario, before moving stateside by himself to play high school football in Hagerstown, Maryland, and prepping at the Peddie School in Hightstown, New Jersey.
The 21-year-old is the younger brother of Toronto Argonauts’ defensive back Royce Metchie.
