Who Should I Start? John Metchie III or Jalin Hyatt

Thursday, May 1, 12:17 AM

The Houston Chronicle's Jonathan M. Alexander projects Houston Texans wide receiver John Metchie III to be left off the 53-man roster entering the start of the 2025 season this fall after the team added receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel in last week's draft. Houston also added Christian Kirk, Justin Watson and Braxton Berrios in free agency this offseason, creating a lot of competition for the 24-year-old, who has battled injuries and a cancer scare to produce just 40 catches for 412 yards and one touchdown since being drafted in the second round (44th overall) in 2022 out of Alabama. Alexander expects Metchie, Xavier Hutchinson, Berrios and Watson to be battling for the final two receiver spots this summer behind Higgins, Kirk and Nico Collins. Metchie is entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2025 and could be a trade candidate if it's clear he's not going to make the roster.

Saturday, June 28, 3:20 PM

New York Giants wide receiver Jalin Hyatt reported recently on the Giants Huddle podcast that he's transformed his body ahead of his third pro season. "I played at like 170, 171 last year, I'm about 194, 195 now," said Hyatt. "I felt like that was one of the things that I needed to work on from last season, just felt weak. So I just had to get stronger." The 23-year-old also noted that he's had conversations with head coach Brian Daboll about moving around the formation more in 2025. Hyatt flashed as a deep threat in his rookie season but took a step back last year with the emergence of target-hog Malik Nabers. The Giants could use a solid second option in their passing attack, though one of Hyatt's most intriguing aspects is his 4.4 speed. If he's able to maintain that with an extra 20 pounds of muscle on his frame, a bounce-back campaign isn't out of the question.