New York Giants Draft Prospect: CB Mello Dotson, Kansas

Mello Dotson might not be the most athletic cornerback in this year's class, but he has some attributes that make him worth taking a flier on.

Mello Dotson, CB

Height: 5’11 ⅞”
Weight: 190 lbs
Hand size: 8 ½”
Arm length: 31 ⅝”
Class: 5th-Year Senior
School: Kansas
STATS

A former three-star recruit out of Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, Florida, where he was the 191st-ranked recruit in his state and the 139th-graded CB during the 2020 cycle.

Dotson started three-and-a-half years for the Jayhawks with 2,732 total snaps and played over 700 snaps in each of the last three seasons; he also added 236 special teams snaps through his career.

Dotson allowed less than a 60% completion rate in the last two seasons. He did miss double-digit tackles in each of the last four seasons and finished his college career with a 19.1% missed tackle rate.

Dotson was honored as a Walter Camp Second Team All-American and an AP Third-Team All-American in 2024, while earning a spot on the First Team All-Big 12.

He was an honorable mention Big-12 Defensive Player of the Year. Dotson holds the Kansas’ school record for interceptions returned for a touchdown (4). His birth name is Ra’Mello Dotson. He was in attendance at the East-West Shrine Game.

Strengths

Solid size for a cornerback with adequate length
Adequate overall athlete with average short-area movement skills and speed
Average burst on click & close – agility and COD is solid
Solid overall jam ability in press – hand one-hand
Will pester and reroute receivers up the stem
Sufficient hip fluidity and center of gravity to quickly turn
Very good technique vs. outside release when in soft-press – squeezes to the sideline with good positioning
Enough coverage skills and athletic traits to plan man coverage
Good reactive quickness, stays tight on quick cuts
Good awareness in short-intermediate zones – (INT vs. TCU vs. 3x1 nub, No. 3 seam)
Does a very good job closing width on deep routes when midpointing/in zone
Takes good angles to the catch point on out breaking routes – does well to undercut
Smart – sees the field and routes well
Excellent ball skills and knack for finding the rock
Does well when the football is in the air
Good at timing his contact and playing through the catch point
Will go for the strip when wrapping up as a tackler
Understands defensive structure in run support – will force/contain well
Positions himself well in run support – best when coming from depth

My favorite part about this Mello Dotson pick-six is Coach Leipold’s reaction on the sideline. pic.twitter.com/rUbP9yYuEG https://t.co/cnwcoxr6LA
— Austin Eckert (@AustinCEckert) February 24, 2025

Weaknesses

Is not a difference making athlete
Can get back on his heels in press – could be more disciplined
Feet in press aren’t polished – false steps
Sub-optimal play strength
Was bullied a bit by bigger receivers
Is a wrap and hold on kind of tackler
Frustrating missed tackles on the outside – needs to improve his location skills near the LOS
Missed 19.1% of his tackles in college – several led to touchdowns
Tackling has to improve

Summary

Mello Dotson is an experienced outside cornerback with good ball skills and a solid ability to process route concepts and react accordingly. He intercepted 12 passes in his career and took four of them to the house; his processing + average athletic traits offer him a possibility to find the field in the NFL.

However, Dotson’s athletic ability is not an asset, it’s just adequate; that, coupled with his marginal tackling and play strength, work against him and must improve.

Still, Dotson has enough coverage ability to warrant a look. He created plenty of turnovers in college and that’s a trait every team is looking to add, but there are areas of his game that need work. He’s a solid flier with special teams’ upside late in the draft.

GRADE: 6.12

Nick Falato's Draft Grade Chart | Nick Falato

Mello Dotson, CB

Strengths

Weaknesses

Summary

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