The Green Bay Packers are entering a phase of their roster-building construction where it is important to add surplus value. Transitioning from their kind of all-in mentality in the last couple of years, the Packers will now readjust the roster to alleviate the salary cap problems and rejuvenate the team, especially if they trade Aaron Rodgers or he retires. Therefore, a wide receiver added to the 53-man roster in the last days of 2022 could be important.
The man for the job: Bo Melton.
The Seattle Seahawks selected the former Rutgers prospect in the seventh round of last year’s draft, 29 picks before the Packers took fellow wide receiver Samori Toure. However, Melton didn’t make Seattle’s initial 53-man roster and spent most of this rookie season on the practice squad. On December 27, the Packers signed him off the Seahawks PS to their 53-man roster. Wisely, they designed a two-year deal so that Melton could be under contract through 2023 on a $750,000 salary.
It’s good practice for the Packers. For example, during the lost season after they fired Mike McCarthy in 2018, general manager Brian Gutekunst signed Allen Lazard off the Jacksonville Jaguars’ practice squad. They developed him, and he became an integral part of Green Bay’s offense for four seasons. Melton says that the Packers have been interested in him for a while.
“I thought there was a chance just because of the meetings pre-draft-wise,” Melton said when he arrived in Wisconsin. “When I got the call, I was like, ‘OK, yeah.’ I was happy because I knew what was going on before (the draft).”
Generally, a late-season pick up like this doesn’t matter much. But the Packers’ wide receiver room is depleted. Lazard and Randall Cobb are unrestricted free agents, and they cut Amari Rodgers last season. Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Toure, and Melton are the only receivers under contract with the Packers, and all of them going into their second seasons. Jeff Cotton also signed a futures deal, but he has only one career game despite being in the NFL since 2020. He finished last season on the Packers’ practice squad.
Melton is intriguing because NFL Network draft analyst Lance Zierlein viewed him as a sixth-round prospect.
“He possesses good football intelligence and can be an efficient route-runner, using leverage and purposeful movement to create some separation,” Zierlein wrote in Melton’s draft profile.
However, Zierlein points out that Melton isn’t a physical player, so he’s limited to the slot and as a gadget player. “He doesn’t appear to have the vertical burst of a downfield weapon,” Zierlein continues, “and his hands fail to consistently stand out.”
Last year, Melton prepared for the draft by practicing in Florida. Curiously, Christian Watson was one of his practice partners. The Packers drafted Watson in the second round, and he’s Green Bay’s WR1 going into 2023.
“He’s a dude. He’s a grinder,” Watson said of Melton before the draft. “He’s definitely doing everything he can to find an opportunity to play at the next level and excel at the next level. I mean, he’s a grinder.”
And the combine put Melton in position to be drafted. He ran a 4.34 40-yard dash, and also had a 38-inch vertical (tied for seventh among WRs last year) and a three-cone time of 6.98 seconds (third). The Packers value athletic ability, and Melton has an elite Relative Athletic Score.
One knock on Melton’s profile is that he was better in 2020 than in his senior season in 2021. But he combined for 1,256 yards and nine receiving touchdowns in his last two collegiate seasons, and he also had two rushing TDs in 2020.
There are no guarantees Melton will make the 53-man roster. Nonetheless, he is already used to the life of a fringe roster player in the league. Right after he arrived in Green Bay in the final days of 2022, Melton mentioned his approach after spending four months on a practice squad in Seattle.
“I was at practice going hard every day, just waiting for an opportunity that I knew was going to come soon,” Melton highlighted. “When the opportunity comes, seize it and rely on your talents.”
The Packers need to generate value and get production from affordable players for their new team structure. Bo Melton might be just a role player, a gadget player, or a special teamer. However, he has the kind of ceiling that makes sense for Green Bay. It will be fun to watch his development under head coach Matt LaFleur and wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator Jason Vrable.
