Former Alabama wide receiver John Metchie III said he expects full medical clearance in June, establishing a timeline to join his future NFL employer on the field in training camp and preseason.
Metchie is recovering from a torn ACL and will be fully evaluated by NFL team doctors during physical examinations at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis this week. The timeline is “aggressive,” Metchie understands, after the Dec. 4 injury against Georgia in the SEC Championship game.
He’s not physically able to compete in on-field workouts in Indianapolis or at the Alabama Pro Day, but he already began interviews with teams and met with the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins on Tuesday night. Metchie, who was unable to see his family in Canada for nearly two years during the COVID-19 pandemic, said he’s excited to envision potential reunions with former teammates Mac Jones (Patriots) and Jaylen Waddle (Dolphins).
Jones was a first-round draft pick and led New England to the playoffs as a rookie in 2021. Waddle, drafted sixth overall last year, was eighth in the NFL with 104 receptions in a smashing debut in Miami.
“Mac and I are really close, we spent a lot of time together my freshman year,” Metchie said Wednesday.
Metchie said he’s the best blocking wide receiver in the draft, which could be attractive to new Dolphins coach MIke McDaniel. But Metchie smiled and said it would be “unfair” for defenses if he lined up opposite Waddle.
In 2021, his junior season at Alabama, Metchie caught 96 passes for 1,142 yards with eight touchdown catches.
–Field Level Media
