Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke has developed a strong reputation in the NFL for drafting players who are coming off ACL tears. He did it a handful of times with the San Francisco 49ers and did it twice in his first draft with Jacksonville on Day 2 in taking offensive tackle Walker Little and safety Andre Cisco.
One receiver he could look at if he wanted to continue that trend is Alabama wide receiver John Metchie III, who suffered a season-ending torn ACL in the Southeastern Championship Game versus Georgia. On Tuesday, Pro Football Network reported that the Jaguars have met with Metchie along with the Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Texans, Buffalo Bills, and New England Patriots.
Before he went down with that devastating injury, he was the Crimson Tide’s second-leading receiver. He finished 2021 with 96 catches for 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns while averaging nearly 12 yards per reception.
Baalke’s gambles on injured players in the past haven’t worked out typically, though there is hope for players like Little and Cisco. Still, the value he gets with this approach hasn’t particularly helped his career, and that’s reflected in his three last seasons where he’s failed to register more than five wins. However, the Jags may be in a situation where they can’t draft a receiver in the first two rounds, so maybe they are looking at Metchie just in case he falls to Round 3.
