A second-round draft choice from Alabama in 2022, wide receiver John Metchie III scored his first NFL touchdown on Sunday night for the Houston Texans, continuing his comeback story from cancer.
Metchie caught a third-and-10 pass from quarterback C.J. Stroud for a 15-yard touchdown as the Texans took a 23-7 lead over the Detroit Lions.
The touchdown gave Metchie four receptions for 65 yards in the first half after he entered the game with four receptions for 36 yards in the 2024 season.
When they drafted Metchie after he caught 151 passes for 2,085 yards and 14 touchdowns in his final two seasons for the Crimson Tide, the Texans knew the wide receiver probably wouldn’t start his pro career on time. Metchie had suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his final game for Alabama – a 41-24 victory over Georgia in the SEC Championship Game on Dec. 5, 2021.
But Houston didn’t bargain on Metchie missing the whole season.
Metchie was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia in July 2022, and the illness and its treatment sidelined him until 2023.
According to the National Institutes of Health’s Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, acute promyelocytic leukemia occurs when “there are too many immature blood-forming cells (promyelocytes) in the blood and bone marrow. This buildup of promyelocytes leads to a shortage of normal white and red blood cells and platelets in the body.
The signs and symptoms of APL include an increased risk both to bleed and form blood clots. Individuals may also experience excessive tiredness, pain in affected areas, loss of appetite and weight loss.”
