Xavier

Hutchinson

Although his negative yards weren’t exactly “contributing” this afternoon, sixth-round rookie Hutchinson did manage to catch four postseason passes after that number was only eight during the regular season. The grabs came amidst an awful injury situation in the Texans’ receiver corps, though Noah Brown is a free agent and Robert Woods a cut candidate. With C.J. Stroud looking like one of the best young quarterbacks in recent memory, Hutchinson is worth an end-of-bench stash in Dynasty leagues.

It was Xavier Hutchinson, not Metchie, who worked in three-wideout sets with Nico Collins (calf) and Tank Dell (leg) sidelined. Metchie ran just five routes on 40 Texans drop backs and saw the one target. Hutchinson, meanwhile, had three targets on35 routes. Metchie is off the fantasy radar.

Hutchinson (6’2/203) spent time in junior college before joining Iowa State in 2020. He immediately stepped in as the team’s top receiver, catching 64 passes for 771 yards. Hutchinson held onto that role for two more seasons and closed out his time as a Cyclone with 1,171 yards on 107 receptions in 2022. Hutchinson earned loads of targets on underneath routes at ISU but doesn’t have the burst or long speed to consistently break big plays. He has shades of Tyler Boyd in his game but will need to shore up his route-running and hands to put himself on a poor man’s Boyd trajectory in the NFL.

Hutchinson continues to rack up numbers on the year, further adding to his gaudy receiving numbers heading into Saturday. Hutchinson entered the day with a receiving line of 57-604-5 and continues to be on pace for a breakout 2022 season. Despite being held out of the end zone, Hutchinson played a key role on several Iowa State drives, nearly helping them to an upset win over the Longhorns. Currently ranked as the No. 20 receiver of the 2023 NFL Draft class per NFL Mock Draft Database, Hutchinson’s strong performance should draw the interest of scouts if his hot start continues. At 6-foot-3, 210-pounds, Hutchinson possesses excellent size for a receiver at the next level.

Hutchinson continues to wrack up numbers on the year, further adding to his gaudy receiving numbers heading into Saturday. Hutchinson entered the day with a receiving line of 57-604-5 and continues to be on pace for a breakout 2022 season. Despite being held out of the end zone, Hutchinson played a key role on several Iowa State drives, nearly helping them to an upset win over the Longhorns. Currently ranked as the No. 20 receiver of the 2023 NFL Draft class per NFL Mock Draft Database, Hutchinson’s strong performance should draw the interest of scouts if his hot start continues. At 6-foot-3, 210-pounds, Hutchinson possesses excellent size for a receiver at the next level.

Hutchinson (6'3/207) has been an important piece in Iowa State’s success on the offensive side of the ball, finishing out last season with 83 receptions for 987 yards with five touchdowns. That came one season after he registered 64 receptions for 771 yards with four touchdowns. According to Pro Football Focus, Hutchinson’s 149.1 passer rating produced when targeted in the red zone last season was the highest in college football least season, in front of Ladd McConkey (141.0) and Treylon Burks (140.3). It will be interesting to see if he continues that with a new quarterback under center in 2022.

Hutchinson’s (6'3/207) receiving totals were impressive, but the highlight of the game was his 49-yard touchdown pass to fellow WR Tarique Milton in the middle of the third quarter, pushing the Cyclones lead to 17-7. Hutchinson isn’t new to the throwing game, as he was a high school quarterback. He said afterward that the team only worked on the play a few times in practice. Next up is a road trip to Texas Tech next Saturday.

Hutchinson (6'3/207) did everything you can ask of him in order to help Iowa State bring home the win over OSU. He caught 12 of his game-high 13 targets, with no other wideout receiving more than two looks and Big 12 all-conference tight end Charlie Kolar receiving nine. He even caught an amazing 56-yard touchdown that was called back in what might be the single-worst example of a “taunting” unsportsmanlike penalty in the history of CFB. Despite the explosive scoring play getting called back, Hutchinson persevered, catching a well thrown back shoulder pass for a nine-yard touchdown on the very same drive. It was a signature performance for Hutchinson, who will try to post another big game next Saturday against West Virginia.

This could have been a much bigger game for Hutchinson (6'3/207) and the Cyclones if Iowa State needed to involve the passing game in the second half. They did not. He opened the scoring with a 39-yard touchdown catch from the right arm of Brock Purdy -- one of four touchdowns for Purdy in the game -- and he has scored three times in the first five games. Expect Hutchinson to be the top target in this passing game going forward, and he’ll have a chance to do damage after a bye against Kansas State.

Hutchinson (6'3/207) scored his first touchdown of the season on a 20-yard connection with QB Brock Purdy late in the second quarter to make it 21-0. He liked it so much, he was back at the end of the third for a 17-yard scoring strike from Purdy to make it 38-3. It was Hutchinson’s first visit to the end zone since Nov. 21, 2020 against Kansas State, and his first-ever multi-score game. Next up is a trip to Baylor next Saturday.