"Bo Melton can do it all."

Yes indeed!

I have been pointing him out since TC last summer. I still think the best strategy is to use him as depth for #9, whenever he's off the field even just for a breather, stick #80 in as a direct replacement just to keep JL10 in tune with that speed. He's the fastest offensive player, and only #2 IF Stokes can return to form. (PLEASE let that happen against Miami)

If #9 can prove to be durable, then #9, 10, 11 & 80 give Miami a run for their money, especially with Stokes at 100%

Andy Herman, this was a fantastic review, and thanks for the info. You're not kidding about that Reed, Wicks, Melton trio giving off those special vibes... there's so much that can happen there within LaFleur's CAT truckload of jet concepts. I also very much appreciated your sharing of his grades per play, and how they align perfectly with those of PFF. Thank you, Andy!

JohnBlood asked me about a year ago to explain why I was always so high and confident in this rather obscure, unproven WR. I'll share pretty much what I had replied, but I have always had 3 monster takeaway's after studying him for that 2022 NFL Draft:

1. Setting high marks in WR rankings with horrific QB play is some next level shit. Yes, there's math involved here, and it checks out.

2. Bo had one of the highest marks for Yards After Contact of anyone in his draft class. That speaks to toughness, football smarts &. physical gifts.

3. He has "QB's Best Friend" tattooed on his forehead.

If you've seen Bo, he's not a towering figure, however, he's First-Class Solid Muscle. First time I saw him in person was at the scrimmage with NE during TC last year. He was off on the sidelines rehabbing his hammy and wasn't able to participate. While his stature may not be huge, his play on the field certainly is...

__

Bo Melton (5-11 189 4.34, 38" vertical) is a diamond in the rough. Drafted by SEA in R7 2022 #229. Was waived at roster cutdowns and placed on their PS at the end of August in 2022. Gutekunst swiped him off their PS on December 27th and placed on our 53 man roster to protect him. Gutekunst does this remarkably well and with a good measure of stealth late in recent seasons past. (There's two DEs acquired the same way from last season that I'll be keeping an eye on this TC: Alexandre Deslin from SF and Aaron Mosby from CAR. Mosby has some Tasmanian Devil to his play, and was another player I was hopeful we would draft in 2023, late round...)

SEA's WR Room was loaded in 2022: DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Marquise Goodwin, Dwayne Eskridge, Penny Hart, Dareke Young, Cody Thompson. (We were fortunate that they PS'd Melton).

Melton's Dad played at Rutgers, so he comes from a football family.

I liked him to the Packers two years ago as a draft sleeper, knowing he wouldn't be drafted early because of the abysmally poor QB play Rutgers had in Melton's time there. THIS IS THE CATCH!: Despite that poor QB play, where Melton ranked #2 in FBS in Uncatchable Targets with 23 of them, he somehow was able to rank #19 in Power 5 in Deep Receptions with 15.

Taking out screen passes, Melton's Uncatchable Target Rate was the 7th worst in Power 5 over a 3 years span.

*** His separation was so good it was in the 86th percentile.

Melton shows good understanding of how to run routes, set up defensive backs, and has some spectacular plays in his tape. A 4.34 40 at the combine showed he has legit speed as well.

*** Melton broke double-digit tackles in each of the last two seasons at Rutgers.

This was probably my biggest crush characteristic. TOUGHNESS. You don't do that without it.

Melton has great hands too, along with exceptional body control to adjust to errant throws, as exhibited by his deep receptions ranking. He's also a very savvy route runner with top field awareness. Melton has the strong hands any WR and QB would covet.

He has that knack for being a QB's best friend. The ball just needs to be in his area and he'll come down with it.

Despite poor QB play, he was voted the offensive MVP for Rutgers in 2021. In his time there he did everything. Quick hitches, deep over routes, double moves in routes, change of direction is extraordinary, very solid release against press coverage, can stack Ds, and able to quickly accelerate and turn on a dime. His separation abilities are natural. Has the nuance to manipulate leverage. Solid, willing blocker. TOUGH.

Gos. Posts. Corners. Hitches/stops. Outs. Slants. Digs. Nows. Smokes. Bubble/hitch-now & tunnel screens.

Great balance, hip sink. Effective. Great leverage.

*** He projects as one of those hard to get, super versatile Z WRs who can also work slot and Jet concepts (Melton was used a lot in motion). Jet motion touch passes, jet sweeps, reverses, pitches, etc. Also did some tight alignment stuff out of the backfield. He's got the head for all of this stuff that LaFleur wants to employ.

***Melton is also incredibly ELUSIVE RAC & YAC. A very fast accelerator with vision & burst. He was one of the top ranked WRs in his draft class in Yards After Contact. I can't recall the figure, but I know he was firmly in the Top 5-7 players there. Melton is not easy to bring down.

Great in contested catch situations. Has some experience as a returner too. Does a lot of the dirty work away from the ball as well. For a guy less than 6 ft. tall, he is a very willing blocker. He brings it. The football smarts he has is off the charts. Melton was a former 4 star recruit, and became a 2 year team Captain.

TEMPO
VARIETY
NUANCE
RELIABLE
TOUGH

There you go, my friends. That's a lot to be happy with at WR for the Packers. Gutekunst stole him. LaFleur knows it, and so does Jordan Love.