2022 NFL Draft: Scouting report on Seahawks seventh-round pick Bo Melton

With the 229th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft the Seattle Seahawks selected wide receiver Bo Melton from Rutgers. With the uncertainty surrounding DK Metcalf’s future with the team as well as Tyler Lockett’s age and contract status, wide receiver was a potential long-term position of need.

Prospect: Bo Melton

Games watched: 2021 Michigan, Northwestern, Maryland, Indiana

Measurables: 5 foot 11 - 185 pounds

Strengths

• Melton is another extremely athletic player with a very high Relative Athletic score of 9.23, which is becoming a bit of a theme for this Seahawks draft class with Melton, Mafe, Walker lll and Woolen all getting 8.94 grades or better. His 40-yard dash of a 4.34 graded as a 9.86 and his 20-yard split of 2.53 graded as a 9.61.
• Most importantly Melton’s graded athleticism shows on tape. He has a rapid acceleration both with and without the ball and he has blazing game speed that allows him to beat defenders to the edges and run away from anyone on the field.
• Despite his size Melton has great contact balance, almost like a running back, as he does not lose a step when running through arm tackles and bouncing off defenders. He packs a bit of a punch as he is able to run over bigger defenders in part because he is able to get a lower pad level on them.
• Melton has rapid feet and thus a very good release, and flashes a lot of movement to the defender off of the line of scrimmage to try and keep them off balance. He displays great route savvy as he takes high steps and shows movement in his upper and lower body at the stem of the route to make it more difficult to guess which way, he is breaking on the route.
• Melton does a great job of being able to snap off curl and comeback routes as well as being able to come back to the ball on these routes to make it more difficult for the defender to make a play on the ball.
• Melton’s combination of quick acceleration, elusiveness and open field vision can make him a real weapon in the return game.
• Melton was a captain in his final two years of college.

Weaknesses

• Melton was almost exclusively lined up off of the line of scrimmage and was consistently in motion to avoid defenders from getting their hands on him off the line of scrimmage. When left on the line physical defenders were easily able to reroute.
• The majority of his production came on gadget plays or throws within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage.
• Melton did not snap off in or out breaking routes or anything down the field as he consistently rounded them out. He showed it is something in his arsenal for comeback routes, however it was something he never incorporated on any other routes.
• Too many body catches rather than catching the ball away from his body with his hands. This is something that is going to result in drops but also make it more difficult to quickly turn and tuck the ball right after the catch.
• Does not do a great job of tracking the ball in the air on deep balls as he did not drop to a deep enough depth on balls that hung up. He often got too shallow which caused the ball to be overthrown or for him to have to readjust his body at the last second.

Schematic fit

Melton is going to be a really nice gadget player for Shane Waldron’s offense who can consistently be put in motion to change the eyes of the defense. He can be used in the backfield in wildcat situations as well as being given the ball on jet sweeps thanks to his pad level, vision, and quick acceleration. He is never going to be used as an X or Z receiver and will be strictly limited to lining up in the slot as a receiver.

Overall thoughts

Melton is a player who carries the ceiling of a low end starting slot receiver in the NFL because of his below average hands, his lack of ideal height, struggles to beat physical defenders and need to be used more creatively than most players. However he is someone who can be a teams fifth receiver early in his career with some targets in 10, 0, or 1 personnel situations and can bring a bit of a dynamic burst to the offense if it is struggling. Melton is going to make an impact as a special teamer and will be a roster player in the 2022 season, which is all you can ask for from your seventh round picks.