John Metchie calls possible reunion with former teammate 'unfair'

With the oodles of former Alabama Crimson Tide football stars in the NFL today, it’s only inevitable that a few college teammates end up on the same team in the pros — but AFC East defenses better hope John Metchie doesn’t end up in Miami with former teammate Jaylen Waddle. Metchie believes it could be a lethal duo.

“I think it would be a little unfair if Waddle and I kind of played together,” Metchie said at the NFL combine in Indianapolis.

In three seasons at Alabama, Waddle caught 106 passes for 1,999 yards and 17 touchdowns before being selected 5th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. Metchie had a bit more production, hauling in 155 receptions for 2,081 yards and 14 touchdowns in four less games than Waddle.

If Metchie has a rookie season anything like Waddle’s, the Dolphins (or any team for that matter) will be lucky to have the Alabama star on their roster. Waddle caught 104 passes on 140 targets for 1,015 yards and 6 touchdowns, quickly becoming Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa‘s No. 1 option in the passing game, and will likely continue that trend in year two.

Metchie’s rookie season could be in jeopardy, however. Metchie left SEC Championship game in toward the end of the second half with a torn ACL. Alabama was able to take down eventually the national champion Georgia Bulldogs 41-24, but head coach Nick Saban knew his star wasn’t going to be around for the Crimson Tide’s playoff push.

Wednesday, the NFL hopeful cleared up speculation on his timetable to return — Metchie is aiming to be suited up week one of his rookie campaign.

“In June I should be cleared, I should be good to go,” Metchie said. “Just ready to play football and run some routes.”

With a return projected just six months after his injury, Metchie doesn’t see his draft stock slipping any. He went on record Wednesday, saying most scouts projected his 40-yard-dash time to be around 4.4 seconds, though will not participate in any drills this week.

“I don’t really get that sense from them,” Metchie said of the NFL scouts regarding his draft stock. “I don’t really get much concern for my injury. Everything checks off. Everything is going well. Rehab’s going well, them looking at my knee is going well.

“My recovery is going really well. All the doctors say it’s going really well, so I shouldn’t have any issues there at all.”