Texans WR John Metchie believes he’s better now than he was at Alabama

“I feel 110 percent, actually," Metchie told reporters on Thursday. "... I feel better now than I ever did in college, and I feel better than I was before I got diagnosed, so 110 percent, for sure. … I feel like I beat the toughest battle, and now living and being me is kind of just to be free and be confident in myself and my body of work and who I am.”

Metchie was a standout receiver for the Crimson Tide. After a 916-yard, six-touchdown sophomore season, he followed it up with 96 receptions, 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns and was named to the All-SEC Second Team during his final season in 2021 — one that ended prematurely after tearing his ACL against in the second quarter of a 41-24 win over the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship Game.

While 2022 was likely the most difficult year of his life not knowing if his NFL dream was over before it began, Metchie appears to have come out on the other side with a profound gratitude for where he is now.

“I'm not going to sit here and say, 'No,' (I didn’t question if I’d ever play again),” Metchie said. "I feel like at the beginning stages, of course, you don't know what's going to happen. You don't know what the future has in store for you. You, of course, hope that you can overcome it and play football, but I would say probably in the beginning stages, there might've been some doubt. But I've had a strong faith. I had a strong faith then, and I have a strong faith now."

Had he not tore his ACL, Metchie, 23, likely would have been a first-round pick. He instead slipped to the second round and landed on a Texans team starved for a No. 1 wideout. If Metchie really is as good or better than he was at Alabama, Houston just may have gotten the steal of the 2022 draft.