2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Rutgers CB Max Melton

From now until the 2024 NFL Draft takes place, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Rutgers CB Max Melton.

#16 Max Melton/CB Rutgers – 5117, 187 lbs. (Junior)

Senior Bowl

MEASUREMENTS

The Good

– Solid length relative to size and frame
– Plays bigger and physical for his size
– Aggressive downhill, packs a punch, and willing to throw his weight around
– Strong punch in press and uses his length well, able to jam and slow up bigger receivers off the line
– Solid straight-line speed and will run well
– Tracks ball in the air, able to high point the ball, and works hard to finish
– Active against the run, works off blocks, and flies into the backfield
– Special teams demon with multiple blocked punts
– Experience playing outside and in the slot
– Great ball production
– Tons of starting experience, durable, and didn’t miss time while playing hurt
– NFL bloodlines

The Bad

– Slighter and leaner frame
– Struggles to wrap and finish when he can’t drive his shoulder or cut a player downhill, leading him to miss or allow the ball carrier to fall forward
– Lacks top-end twitch to match routes over the middle of the field
– Doesn’t have length to compete and contest on all throws, especially over the middle
– Has to jump and leave his feet too often to contest passes
– Frame may keep him inside at NFL level

Bio

– 40 career starts for Scarlet Knights
– 111 tackles (8.5 TFL), 22 PDs, 8 INTs, 1 sack, 1 FF
– 2023: 32 tackles (4 TFL) 6 PDs, 3 INTs, 1 sack, 1 FF
– Four career blocked punts
– Turns 22 in April of 2024
– Three-star recruit from Egg Harbor City, New Jersey, chose Rutgers over Army, Boston College, and Yale, among other schools
– Initially committed to Purdue in July of 2019 before flipping to Rutgers in December following Greg Schiano’s hire and relationship with DBs Coach Fran Brown
– Played WR in high school, caught 60 passes for 785 yards and seven touchdowns in senior year
– Comes from athletic family – brother, Bo, is current WR for Green Bay Packers, father played WR/RB for Rutgers, mother played college basketball for Rutgers
– Played through a broken hand at start of 2023 season
– Suspended three games in September of 2021 after being charged alongside a teammate with aggravated assault and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, accused of shooting and hitting others with a paintball gun
– Returned to team in mid-October
– Track and field star in college, won state championships in 55m (6.58 seconds)
– First name is “Malachi”

Tape Breakdown

Max Melton doesn’t have an ideal frame for a corner. But he has good length and plays larger than his listed size. He’s at his best when he can come downhill and deliver a blow like this hit in the flat to force the incompletion. Really impressive rep against a player much bigger than him.

A track star and high school receiver, Melton can turn and run and track the ball in the air. My favorite rep was this one, tracking the ball downfield, timing his jump well, and finishing the play by knocking the ball out of the receiver’s outstretched hands.

Special teams is what could really separate him from the rest of his draft class. Max Melton’s scouting report has an impressive resume there, with four blocked punts. Here are two of them. This is a guy who can impact all four phases of the game as a rookie.

On the downside, Melton’s lack of size causes him to fall off tackles when he has to wrap and can’t attack downhill. He has good length and can press, but his slighter upper body and overall frame puts him on the smaller side. He also has trouble on in-breaking routes, with a lack of burst at the top and a lack of length to rally and finish. Couple examples.

Conclusion

Overall,  Max Melton’s scouting report shows a feisty corner with experience playing all over the defense. He has the press skills to play on the outside but is most likely to be viewed as a slot option, given his smaller frame and his impressive run defense. While he’s fast, he lacks some change-of-direction skills, and his game is inconsistent. Having issues defending the middle of the field will be a concern for a slot corner forced to cover a lot of ground.

But he should become an ace special teamer and tone-setter who can play as a nickel in the NFL, especially for teams who like to blitz and involve them in run fits. Teams who play sub-package as their “base,” like a Buffalo or Las Vegas, who need a corner who can be a de facto linebacker. My NFL comp to him is a fairly recent one in the Raiders’ Nate Hobbs. 

Projection: Late Day Two
Depot Draft Grade: 7.6 – Potential Starter/Good Backup (3rd Round)
Games Watched: at Michigan (2023), vs Northwestern (2023), vs Michigan State (2023), at Indiana (2023), Special Teams Cut-up