Big Board ranking: #38

Positional ranking: #8

 

Overview

Position: CB

College: Rutgers

Class: Senior

Age: 22

 

Measurables

Height: 5’11”

Weight: 187 lbs.

Arm length: 32 1/8”

Hand size: 9 1/8”

 

Athletic testing

40-yard dash: 4.39 sec.

10-yard split: 1.51 sec.

Vertical jump: 40.5”

Broad jump: 136.0”

Bench press: N/A

3-cone drill: N/A

Short shuttle: N/A

 

Strengths

Elite speed and athleticism. Extremely twitchy with quick feet. Strong riding opponents out of the press. Comfortable defending vertically while facing the sideline. Stays close covering down the field. Very fluid hips. Cover transitions are smooth and efficient. Extremely fast in the backpedal. Excellent plant-and-break reaction time. Outstanding awareness with his eyes on the quarterback in deep zone coverage. Stays athletic and reads the quarterback in intermediate zone drops. Exceptional instincts and play recognition in off coverage. Tremendous reading route breaks from off coverage and jumping on throws. Can bait throws. Outstanding ball skills. Great catch focus. Aggressive attacking and high-pointing the ball. Terrific hustle in pursuit. Aggressive flowing to the ball in run support. Has shown physicality wrapping to finish. Able to slip blockers. Very effective chopping opponents down. Will deliver a big hit in the flat. Has experience at both outside cornerback spots. Confident in the press versus Ohio State star Marvin Harrison Jr. (2023). Dropped in the slot to cover Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson (2023). Experience on special teams with multiple blocked punts in his career. Brother of Packers wide receiver Bo Melton.

 

Weaknesses

Sometimes allows separation by being a bit slow to react on route breaks when not giving a cushion. Allows some separation on quicker routes underneath. Needs to be careful about grabbing on whip routes. Can allow a step on stutter releases that get him on his heels. Will come in too hot and miss on low fly-by tackle attempts.

 

NFL comparison

Cam Taylor-Britt

 

Conclusion

Overall, Melton is a fast, athletic cornerback with cover talent and playmaking instincts that also helps in run support. He should be a scheme-versatile option and can play either outside or in the slot.