John Metchie the third had a very interesting childhood prior to playing for the Tide. He was born in Taiwan until his family moved to Ghana and then settled down in Canada. Metchie would go on to live in Canada from age 6 until he was in high school. Before he entered high school in Canada the family traveled to the US so he could attend St. James School in Hagerstown, MD. His final year of high school he transferred to The Peddie School in Hightstown, NJ. There he became a 4-star prospect and received offers from a multitude of top programs. He committed to Alabama and played for the Tide over the next 3 years. When Metchie arrived in Tuscaloosa for the 2019 season, he barely saw any game time. It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone because on that 2019 team were the following players: Henry Ruggs, Jaylen Waddle, Jerry Jeudy, and DeVonta Smith.
The following season, Metchie started to see action at the receiver position. His first breakout performance came against Texas A&M where he caught 5 passes for 181 yards and 2 touchdowns. He proceeded to have a great season, but it’s worth noting two things. The first is that Metchie had limited production until Waddle went down. The second is that DeVonta Smith doubled Metchie’s production. So Metchie was never really the alpha and needed an injury to become the number two in offense.
John Metchie III became the alpha for the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2021. The go to target for sophomore QB Bryce Young caught 96 passes, but lagged behind Jameson Williams in terms of receiving yards. When you consider he had a 23.29% target share while sharing a field with Williams, the production numbers matter less. Unfortunately, Metchie tore his ACL in the SEC championship against Georgia. He was invited to the combine, but did not test.
John Metchie was selected in the 2nd round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans. Coming into a bad offense with a competent QB, he’s a value in rookie drafts. I once didn’t like him, but I’ve come around on him now. He probably won’t be ready to roll at the start of the season.
