Draft Darlings: Max Melton is climbing draft boards — and it makes sense

Kansas City has been very good at identifying cornerbacks in the NFL Draft. Could Melton be the next one?

Many prospects rise up draft boards every year, usually due to some predraft process elevating their status. Whether it’s the All-Star game circuit, the NFL Combine, Pro Days or private meetings, their work predraft gets them in higher standings with NFL teams.

One of the biggest jumps from a prospect this year is from Malachi “Max” Melton. Here’s what you need to know about Melton:

Background

Melton wasn’t a prestigious draftee. Coming out of New Jersey, Melton was just a three-star recruit — only having offers from Purdue, Temple, Rutgers, and Massachusetts University. Initially, Melton committed to Purdue but changed his mind before signing day, choosing to attend Rutgers instead to play with his brother, wide receiver Bo Melton (a seventh-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft who is currently on the Packers.

Melton has been a meaningful contributor for four years, playing 41 games and 2,040 snaps over four seasons, with his lowest being 354 as a freshman. However, his stat profile isn’t overwhelming, with only eight interceptions and 16 pass breakups over four years. Melton was an honorable mention for the All-Big Ten team the past two seasons.

Where Melton stood out was his performance at the NFL Combine. Melton doesn’t have overwhelming size or weight, coming in at 5’11 (42nd percentile) and 187 lbs (27th percentile). However, his length is phenomenal, measuring with 31 1/8” arms (75th percentile) and 76 5/8” wingspan (67th percentile). Melton also did well in the athletic testing, posting a 4.39 40-yard dash time (83rd percentile) and 1.51 10-yard split (73rd percentile). He also jumped 40.5” in the vertical jump (91st percentile) and 136” in the broad jump (98th percentile).

Film evaluation

Melton’s athletic gifts show on film. First, he understands the strength of his length. Melton loves to jam at the line of scrimmage, get into the frames of wide receivers — and knock them off balance. His length allows him to do this, but he also has underrated strength and physicality. Melton has no issues putting his body into someone and making them work.

That style of play can be boom or bust, but Melton has the speed to compensate for it. Melton isn’t the most agile athlete, but his speed and explosiveness in a straight line are fantastic. With his speed, he can ride a jam down a sideline and trail any wide receiver. It’s hard to get off of Melton with your route since he’ll stay so tight to the stem and rarely will get blown by with his speed.

Melton primarily plays on the outside, but Rutgers would dabble in putting Melton in the slot. He’s athletic and physical enough also to play man coverage against slot receivers, but he’s also an underrated run defender. Melton is willing to hit. He’ll lay some massive hits, even framing up running backs and knocking them down by himself. He also works to get off blocks. Watching Melton make some huge hits was one of my favorite clips of this draft season.

How he fits with the Chiefs

Melton would be an ideal outside cornerback for the Chiefs. He has the length the Chiefs covet from their outside cornerbacks, as well as the physicality and desire to play man coverage. A hallmark of the Chiefs cornerbacks is how physical they are in man coverage, knocking wide receivers off their feet with their physicality. Melton could do that. The Chiefs also crave cornerbacks who will tackle, and Melton is very good at that. He’s a fair bit skinnier than some guys the Chiefs have had, but with his length and overall skill set, I don’t think that would be a major factor in his evaluation process.

The bottom line

Melton is currently my CB3. I know that’s outrageous, but I’m very high on him. His athletic testing and length put him on the radar for me, but watching his film made me appreciate his abilities. He didn’t have a prestigious college career with honors or stats, but when you watch him on film, you see all the potential for him to be a good man coverage cornerback in the NFL.

I think Melton’s fit in Kansas City would be incredible. The Chiefs have gone out of their way to pursue and draft cornerbacks with length, speed, and the willingness to play man coverage. They also look for cornerbacks who desire to play very physically and tackle. Melton is great at all of those things. He may be a bit skinnier than some of the cornerbacks the Chiefs like, but everything on film suggests his fit to Kansas City would be seamless.

There’s a reason Melton is rising up draft boards and mock drafts, and it’s not just his athletic testing; he’s a good football player, too.

Grade: Round 2