John Metchie III
John Metchie III (born July 18, 2000) is a Canadian gridiron football wide receiver for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, winning the Jon Cornish Trophy twice prior to being selected by the Texans in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Metchie would sit out his rookie season after being diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia.
 Metchie with Alabama in 2021 | |||||
| No. 8 – Houston Texans | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | July 18, 2000 Taipei, Taiwan | ||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 187 lb (85 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | St. James (Hagerstown, Maryland) Peddie (Hightstown, New Jersey) | ||||
| College: | Alabama (2019–2021) | ||||
| NFL Draft: | 2022 / Round: 2 / Pick: 44 | ||||
| CFL Draft: | 2022 / Round: 7 / Pick: 59 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 2, 2023 | |||||
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| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||
Early years
Metchie was born in Taiwan to a Nigerian father and Taiwanese mother on July 18, 2000.[1] His family moved to Accra, Ghana, when he was one before moving to Brampton, Ontario, Canada, with his mother and four brothers while his father remained in Ghana.[1][2] He then moved to the United States to attend St. James School in Hagerstown, Maryland.[3] Metchie spent a post-graduate year at the Peddie School in Hightstown, New Jersey,[4] before committing to play college football at the University of Alabama.[5][6]
College career
Metchie played in all 13 games as a freshman at Alabama in 2019 and had four catches for 23 yards.[7] He became one of Alabama's top three receivers his sophomore year in 2020 racking up 916 yards on 55 receptions with six touchdowns.[8][9] He was the first receiver to win the Jon Cornish Trophy as the top Canadian in NCAA football in the 2020 season.[10] As a junior in 2021, Metchie recorded 96 receptions for 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns before tearing his ACL in the 2021 SEC Championship Game.[11] Metchie was again named the recipient of the Jon Cornish Trophy, joining Nathan Rourke as the only two-time winners.[12][13]
| Season | GP | Receiving | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 2019 | 4 | 4 | 23 | 5.8 | 17 | 0 |
| 2020 | 13 | 55 | 916 | 16.7 | 78 | 6 |
| 2021 | 13 | 96 | 1,142 | 11.9 | 46 | 8 |
| Career | 30 | 155 | 2,081 | 13.4 | 78 | 14 |
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11+1⁄4 in (1.81 m) |
187 lb (85 kg) |
30+5⁄8 in (0.78 m) |
9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m) | |||||||||
| All values from NFL Combine[14][15] | ||||||||||||
Metchie was selected by the Houston Texans in the second round (44th overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft.[13] He was also selected by the BC Lions in the seventh round (59th overall) of the 2022 CFL Draft before signing a four-year contract, worth $8 million, with the Texans on May 14, 2022.[13][16] In July, Metchie announced he would sit out his rookie season after being diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia.[17]
Personal life
His older brother, Royce Metchie, is a defensive back for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.[18]
References
- Brugler, Dane. "The Beast: 2022 NFL Draft Guide" (PDF). The Athletic. p. 54. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
- Edholm, Eric (February 23, 2022). "NFL draft: From Ghana to Bama, WR John Metchie has learned to thrive amid adversity". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
- Sousa, Stone (July 6, 2018). "Canadian John Metchie defies the odds to become top U.S. football recruit". Toronto Sun. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
- Hunt, Todderick (May 22, 2018). "4-star WR Metchie to Peddie | Is he now N.J.'s best WR?". NJ.com. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
- Parasiliti, Bob (July 7, 2018). "Saint James grad Metchie commits to Alabama". Herald-Mail Media. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
- Casagrande, Michael (July 7, 2018). "Alabama gets commitment from 4-star WR". AL.com. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
- Paschall, David (October 6, 2020). "John Metchie already adding to Alabama's continuing run of stellar receivers". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
- Hudson, Brett (October 4, 2020). "Crimson Tide's Metchie shows star potential". TimesDaily. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
- Blackwell, Joey (October 4, 2020). "When Alabama Needed Its No. 3 Receiver, John Metchie Answered the Call". SI.com. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
- Naylor, Dave (2021-05-24). "Metchie wins Cornish Trophy as outstanding Canadian in NCAA football". TSN.ca. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
- Scarborough, Alex (December 5, 2021). "Alabama Crimson Tide leading pass-catcher John Metchie III out with 'significant' ACL injury". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
- Naylor, Dave (2022-04-19). "Metchie wins Jon Cornish Trophy for second time". TSN.ca. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
- Inabinett, Mark (May 4, 2022). "Wide receiver John Metchie III drafted again". AL.com. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- "John Metchie Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- "John Metchie III, Alabama, WR, 2022 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- Galatzan, Matt (May 14, 2022). "Texans Sign WR John Metchie III To Rookie Deal". SI.com. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- "Texans WR Metchie diagnosed with leukemia". ESPN.com. 24 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
- Ralph, Dan (April 29, 2022). "Texans trade up for Canada's John Metchie III in 2nd round of NFL draft". CBC.ca. Retrieved 2023-02-19.