Metchie is the first Maple Leaf representative to be selected in the 2022 draft.
The Ontario native had been considered a potential first-round pick before suffering a season-ending knee injury Dec. 4 in the SEC conference championship game.
Standing 5ft 11in (1.80m) and weighing 30kg (186lb), Metchie had 96 catches for 1,142 yards and 8 touchdowns last season before sustaining his injury. He decided not to play his fourth year of college.
Metchie had 155 receptions for 2,081 yards and 14 majors during his career at University of Alabama. He helped the Crimson Tide win the NCAA national title in 2020.
Metchie also received the Jon Cornish Trophy, given to the top Canadian player in the NCAA, for the second year in a row. He joined BC Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke as the only players to earn the honor twice.
Metchie’s road to the NFL has certainly been long and winding.
He was born in Taiwan, moved to Ghana at a young age and grew up in Brampton. He then moved to Hagerstown, Maryland to attend St. James School and spent a graduate year at Peddie School in Hightstown, New Jersey before committing to the University of Alabama.
His older brother, Royce, is a defensive back with the Toronto Argonauts while his other two brothers, both older, also played at the Canadian university level.
