Getty Might Houston Texans wide receiver John Metchie III be available after the Stefon Diggs trade?
The latest NFL blockbuster saw the Buffalo Bills trade superstar wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans on April 3. In return for the veteran playmaker and two late-round selections (a 2024 sixth and 2025 fifth), the Bills received a 2025 second-round pick — per ESPN insider Adam Schefter.
Needless to say, deals of this magnitude create ripple effects around the league and one potential byproduct of the Diggs trade could be a secondary wide receiver move. Houston’s WR corps now runs seven-deep with a mix of experience and young talent.
Along with Diggs, you have Nico Collins, Tank Dell, Noah Brown, Robert Woods, John Metchie III and Xavier Hutchinson. Of the group, four of those pass-catchers were drafted over the past three offseasons with three of them going third round or higher.
Although a 2021 third, Collins, has become the star of this room, the earliest of the selections in terms of draft status was Metchie — a 2022 second. Thinking opportunistically, A-to-Z Sports Kansas City reporter Charles Goldman urged the Chiefs to inquire about Metchie shortly after the Diggs agreement was revealed.
“John Metchie III was a highly productive receiver coming out of the University of Alabama,” Goldman reasoned. “In his two years before declaring for the 2022 NFL draft, Metchie had a combined 151 catches for over 2,000 yards and 14 touchdowns.”
The KC media member appears to see the potential “odd man out” as a buy-low WR talent for the Chiefs via trade.
“Kansas City could likely offer a Day 3 pick in return for Metchie, maybe even just a conditional draft pick,” Goldman hypothesized. The youngster has a cap hit just over $2.2 million in 2024. He’d be an easy cut in 2025 if things didn’t work out.
Texans WR John Metchie Could Use Fresh Start After Series of Unfortunate Events
Whether or not Metchie is available is unclear, but Goldman’s right about one thing — luck has not been on the former second rounder’s side in recent years.
“His NFL career got off to a tough start for reasons he had no control over,” Goldman noted. “In the SEC title game, [Metchie] tore his ACL, which already meant he wasn’t going to play much as a rookie. [Then], just three months after he was drafted, Metchie announced he would miss his rookie season after being diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia.”
Metchie did end up returning to the field in 2023, registering 16 catches for 158 yards during the regular season. By the time he was truly healthy, however, the Alabama product was already buried on the depth chart behind Collins, Dell, Brown and Woods. The Diggs trade only amplifies that reality.
Metchie only turns 24 years old in July, and the Chiefs may once again have a need at wide receiver depending on how the recent Rashee Rice situation unfolds. The 5-foot-11 talent would compete with the likes of Skyy Moore, Kadarius Toney, Justin Watson, Justyn Ross and Nikko Remigio for a 2024 roster spot, among others.
“A change of scenery might not just make sense, but it might be necessary for Metchie to recapture any of his former glory from his Crimson Tide days,” Goldman concluded while seemingly pitching the Chiefs on the forgotten Texans second rounder via A-to-Z Sports.
Texans’ John Metchie Was Drafted 10 Slots Before Chiefs WR Skyy Moore in 2022
Ironically, the Texans snatched up Metchie exactly 10 picks before the Chiefs went with Moore in 2022. Tyquan Thornton, George Pickens and Alec Pierce were also taken in between the two but in theory, Kansas City may have pursued Metchie if he’d remained on the board.
“The Chiefs have shown prior interest in Metchie, having hosted him on a top-30 visit ahead of the 2022 NFL draft,” Goldman reminded in his article.
Of course, that doesn’t mean KC would have gone with Metchie in the draft if given the choice. Pickens was another popular option that fans and analysts liked for the Chiefs at the time.