NFL Draft Profile: Bo Melton, Wide Receiver, Rutgers Scarlet Knights

NFL draft profile scouting report for Rutgers Wide Receiver, Bo Melton

Author:
The NFL Draft Bible
Updated:
Mar 4, 2022 10:50 AM EST
Original:
Feb 26, 2022

In this story:

#18
Pos: WR
Ht: 5110
Wt: 189
Hand: 0900
Arm: 3128
Wing: 7648
40: 4.34
Bench: N/A
3-Cone: 6.98
Shuttle: N/A
Vert: 38"
Broad: 10'01"
DOB:
Eligibility: 2022
Mays Landing, NJ
Cedar Creek High School

Bo Melton Rutgers Scarlet Knights

One-Liner:

Quick receiver, who is just average or below-average in too many other areas to be an impact player in the NFL early on.

Pros:

For teams looking to add a shifty weapon to their offense, Melton is an intriguing prospect. He plays mostly as a Z on the outside, but he also has the ability to win in the slot. Melton does all of the little things well. He is a willing blocker and a physical player. Melton doesn’t run an advanced route tree, but his solid change of direction helps him get open. His best attribute is his quickness. Melton relies on his quickness to get open. He is also good after the catch. He combines his quickness and shiftiness to create extra yardage with the ball in his hands. Melton does have special teams experience and could contribute in that regard early on.

Cons:

As far as his size, Melton looks small on the field. Even though he is physical, he’ll get overmatched by bigger cornerbacks. His speed is fine, but it isn’t difference-making for his size. Melton’s catch radius is pretty small, and he tends to catch the ball with his body. His hands aren’t a problem, but he struggles to make contested catches. Melton is quick, yet he doesn’t run the sharpest routes. This gives time for defenders to adjust to his change of direction and make a play on the football. At times Melton will try and do too much, especially at the line of scrimmage. Disciplined cornerbacks have an easy time staying in phase, as Melton has a lot of wasted motion.

Summary:

As a pass catcher, Melton is solid. He won’t wow anyone, but he is very quick. Melton will need to work on his route running and overall play strength to hold up at the next level. Right now, he is still raw in a lot of areas. He projects as a developmental player who could turn into a rotational receiver.

Background:

Bo Melton is from Mays Landing, New Jersey. He is the son of Gary and Vicky. His father Gary was on the Rutgers football team from 1987-1991. His mother Vicky was on the Rutgers women’s basketball team from 1989-1993. In high school, Bo played at Cedar Creek, where he was coached by Tim Watson. He was a first-team all-state player as a junior and senior. In addition to football, Melton also competed in track and played basketball. For his efforts, Melton was a consensus four-star recruit and the top wide receiver in the state of New Jersey. He chose Rutgers over Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State. Melton burned his redshirt as a freshman, playing in all 12 games, including three starts. He had four receptions for 83 yards on the season and had 37 special teams snaps. As a sophomore, Melton had seven starts, upping his stats to 28 receptions and 245 yards. Melton started every game as a junior, recording 30 receptions for 427 yards and two touchdowns. Melton really broke out as a senior in 2020. Even in the shortened Covid campaign, named honorable mention All-Big Ten, with a stat line of 47 receptions, 638 yards, and six touchdowns. Melton decided to take his extra year of eligibility for 2021. Melton had 55 receptions, 618 yards, and three touchdowns. He was named Third Team All-Big Ten by PFF. Melton was a two-time captain in 2020 and 2021. Melton was invited to the Senior and accepted his invite on November 16th.

Quotable:

“We’re thrilled that Bo came back this year,” Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said. “A lot of people would say because of the production. Well yeah, that’s for sure. But what makes Bo special is he is one of the hardest workers on the team. When your best players are your hardest workers, you’ve got something cooking. He certainly has a bright future ahead.”-Greg Schiano on Melton returning for his 5th season.

Grades:

Current Player Value/Potential Player Value

6.3/7.2

Quotables

“Personally, I think I showed a lot of my versatility, my elusiveness, my quickness and my speed. That was one thing I wanted to show down there, that I was able to put that on in front of the coaches and teams.” -- Bo Melton on his Senior Bowl

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