Xavier Hutchinson, the former Bartram Trail High School wide receiver, made the Houston Texans' initial 53-man roster for the 2026 NFL season.

Houston selected him in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 205th overall.

The Texans finalized their roster Sunday, Aug. 30, after the league required all 32 teams to cut down to 53 players. Hutchinson, who wears No. 19, was listed among five wide receivers on the roster, according to Texans Wire. ESPN identified him as the favorite to start opposite Nico Collins.

News4Jax included Hutchinson in its roundup of Jacksonville-area players who survived final cuts, published Monday, Aug. 31.

Hutchinson, 26, attended Bartram Trail in St. Johns, where he posted 74 receptions for 1,004 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior with the Bears. He went on to play at Blinn College before transferring to Iowa State, where he became a three-time first-team All-Big 12 selection and a first-team All-American in 2022. That year he set Iowa State's single-season record with 107 catches for 1,171 yards and six touchdowns.

His path to a bigger role accelerated this preseason. Projected No. 2 receiver Jayden Higgins suffered a season-ending torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) during a joint practice with the Las Vegas Raiders in August, according to CBS Sports. That injury opened the door for Hutchinson.

He showed he could handle the workload in 2025, posting career-best numbers: 35 receptions for 428 yards and three touchdowns. In two games Collins missed, Hutchinson drew 15 targets, according to ESPN.

The numbers add up. His career NFL totals through 2025 stand at 55 receptions for 635 yards and three touchdowns.

The Texans' initial wide receiver group also includes Jaylin Noel, Kayshon Boutte and Jared Wayne. The Houston Press described the receiver room as "wild" at cutdown time, with both Higgins and Tank Dell on injured reserve. The roster is labeled "initial" and could shift as teams work the waiver wire in the days ahead.