The Houston Texans selected Alabama wide receiver John Metchie III with the 44th pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. The talented wide receiver never got to play a single game this season, though, as he was diagnosed with leukemia in July right before training camp.
While that was certainly an unfortunate turn of events for Metchie — to say the least — Texans general manager Nick Caserio recently revealed that the wide receiver is making great progress in his fight against cancer.
“I think there are still some things that he has to complete or go through,” Caserio said, per ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime. “Quite frankly, it’s amazing what he’s done to this point.”
That’s as positive an update as you’ll get, but it gets even better for both Metchie as well as the Texans. Caserio revealed that there’s actually a chance Metchie will be well enough to participate in Houston’s offseason training programs, which will begin on April 3.
“He actually looks better now than he did when we drafted him in the spring,” Caserio continued. “He’s improved his strength, he’s improved his lower body strength. His attitude has been great, even though he’s been dealing with a lot of things medically.”
Metchie played three seasons under Nick Saban at Alabama before entering the draft as a junior and he without a doubt has the potential to be a game-changer for the Texans once he gets back on the field.
He caught 96 passes for 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns in Alabama’s national championship runner-up season (2021).
