*Walt taking 2014 and 2018 |
Charlie Campbell, Senior Draft Analyst |
Rutgers CB Max Melton has Scouts Buzzing
Updated Dec. 5, 2022By Charlie Campbell. Follow Charlie on Twitter @draftcampbell.
Sources from around the NFL say that there is not an elite cornerback prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft who is on a par with the top two from the 2022 NFL Draft – Houston’s Derek Stingley went at No. 3 and and the New York Jets’ Sauce Gardner went No. 4. However, there are a number of prospects eho have first-round potential, and one who is rising quickly is Rutgers redshirt sophomore cornerback Max Melton. Some team sources think Melton could be their highest graded corner for the 2023 NFL Draft, and they feel he could have the best 2022 tape of any 2023 cornerback prospect.
Melton went under the radar in 2022 due to playing for a bad Rutgers team that failed to qualify for a bowl game. On the year, he totaled 33 tackles, two interceptions and nine passes broken up. Melton is listed at 6-foot, 190 pounds, but NFL team sources believe he might be more like 5-foot-11, 188 pounds. They say Melton has excellent speed and is super fast to go shut down the deep part of the field. Receivers can’t outrun him, and he is a superb athlete who can match the route to prevent separation. Melton is a tough competitor who possesses a lot of upside. Melton’s brother, wide receiver Bo Melton, was late-round pick by the Seahawks last April, and he showed serious speed with a 4.34-second 40-yard dash time at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine.
While Max Melton has not received a lot of media attention, he has caught fire in the scouting community, with some evaluators thinking he could be one of the top cornerback prospects for the 2023 NFL Draft and has a shot at being the first one off the board. Given his size though, he might be more of a mid first-round pick and not a top-10 talent like Gardner or Stingley.
