Houston Texans wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson semes to have all the traits needed to be a productive weapon on the NFL level. He has great size, solid enough athleticism and impressive hands. Unfortunately, he been unable to put it all together.
Now, with the Texans overhauling their receiving corps following the loss of Stefon Diggs to free agency and Tank Dell recovering from a brutal knee injury, it's looking like Hutchinson may be the odd man out.
Cem Yolbulan of House of Houston seems to believe that Hutchinson may have played his final down in Houston, noting that he is "as good as gone" with the NFL Draft approaching.
"In that scenario, Xavier Hutchinson could find himself out the door," Yolbulan wrote. "In his second season with the team, Hutchinson failed to establish himself as an NFL-caliber playmaker. Despite playing significant offensive snaps and moving up to WR2 status down the stretch for the Texans, Hutchinson wasn't able to make hay. In fact, he didn't have a single game with over two catches the entire regular season."
The 24-year-old played in 16 games this past year, managing just 12 catches for 117 yards on 26 targets. In the season prior, he logged eight grabs for 90 yards.
Hutchinson, who played his collegiate football at Iowa State, was selected by the Texans in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft after a very impressive collegiate career.
In fact, during his final campaign with the Cyclones, Hutchinson hauled in 107 receptions for 1,161 yards and six touchdowns, leading the Big 12 in the two former categories.
Obviously, the St. Augustine, Fl. native has not materialized in the pros, and Houston may be running out of patience waiting for him to develop.
