Hutchinson’s Thursday Night Performance Proves he Could Play Big Role for Texans

In Xavier Hutchinson’s rookie season, you can excuse Houston Texans fans for not knowing the name of the sixth-round wide receiverIowa State by way of Blinn Junior College, but during Thursday night’s NFL Hall of Fame game, his name kept coming up in the first half.

After a regular season in 2023, that saw him only catch eight balls and 16 games for a total of 90 yards, the player now entering his second season, hauled in five passes for a total of 56 yards, with an average per catch of just north of 11 yards on six total targets.

During the Texans surprising 2023 playoff run, Hutchinson caught four more passes for a total of nine yards.

While Hutchinson had a good first half, a lot of his targets could be attested to the absence of assumed first-string wide receivers Tank Dell, Stefon Diggs, and Nico Collins, but what Hutchinson did Thursday night may have shown the Texans coaching staff that he is ready for a bigger role coming into 2024.

Currently projected by ESPN to be somewhere around the third string, heading into the preseason, these reps without the first stringers will be instrumental to Hutchinson, climbing up the depth chart

If he continues to show this kind of productivity, albeit against teams, second string defenses for the most part, he could find his way into a bigger supporting role this season with the Texans

At Blinn, Hutchinson started off slow, but in his sophomore season became a first-team, all-conference player, with 652 yards and five touchdowns.

Blinn coach Ryan Mahon said one of Hutchinson’s best traits is his loyalty, that once he was committed to Binn, he was fully committed.

“Xavier was a young man that embraced the junior college experience,” Mahon said. “He came to work every day and gave his all with an unparalleled work ethic. He is the epitome of what you want as a student-athlete and represents Blinn College well.”

At Iowa State, Hutchinson caught 254 passes for 2/929 yards and 15 touchdowns in his three seasons in Ames, with six coming in his final year in 2022.

As a Cyclone, Hutchinson led the Big 12 in receptions in all three seasons and sits seventh all-time in Big 12 history. His 107 receptions in 2022 was seventh in FBS football that season. His 1,171 yards that season were good for eighth in FBS. Hutchinson also finished in the top six in receiving touchdowns all three seasons.

As a former All-American on multiple lists in his time in Ames, Hutchinson has all the tools to serve in a big role for the Texans and has a history of production to match.

If given the chance in Houston, like he was on Thursday night, Hutchinson could prove to be a hidden gem in a great draft class for Houston.