INDIANAPOLIS — The most important lesson that Max Melton will take into the NFL came from watching the best athlete from his South Jersey hometown struggle to find his footing for most of two seasons.
Bo Melton — Max’s older brother and former Rutgers teammate — slipped to the seventh round of the 2022 draft, was cut by the Seahawks and didn’t make his first career catch until Dec. 7, 2023. By the playoffs, however, Bo was making big plays for the upstart Packers.
“Growing up, my brother was the best at everything — football, track, basketball, baseball,” Max said. “For him to come to the league and not play right away, it was shocking and humbling to me. So, he just told me to keep my head down and block out the outside noise — good or bad — and perfect your craft, and it will work out for you at the end.”
Max’s pro journey hits stride Friday when he takes the field with other cornerback prospects at the NFL Scouting Combine. The first goal is to show he can run faster than the 4.34-second 40-yard dash that Bo clocked in his pre-draft process.
“We’ve been going at it ever since we were little,” Max said. “We were both receivers at first, doing drills together. When I transferred to defensive back, he’d come home from college, I was still in high school … and iron sharpens iron. I look forward to doing that in the league also.”
Melton’s performance at the combine could punch his ticket as a top-100 pick — possibly by the 49ers, whom he has met with “five or six times” since declaring for the draft. Or maybe by the Jets after he played under defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich at the Senior Bowl.
“He takes the mental game to a whole other level,” Melton said. “We weren’t even talking Xs and Os. We were talking about why we love this sport for 30 minutes straight, and that gives you more fuel to go out and do your job.”
Wearing a diamond-studded “Mad Max” necklace, Melton spoke with confidence Thursday about continuing a long lineage of Rutgers defensive backs in the NFL started by the McCourty twins in 2009.
“People have to open their eyes more,” Melton said. “Rutgers’ DBs in the league, we’re making our mark. All credit to Greg Schiano — he has a line of DBs that he coached in the league. We’re very disciplined, very smart, very athletic. I meet with teams and they’re like, ‘Oh yeah, you’re a Rutgers guy? You know football.’ We stick out on the Football 101 part of things.”
Melton made 40 career starts and totaled eight interceptions and four fumble recoveries, plus the kind of special teams expertise (four blocked punts) that boosts mid-round draft picks. He is addressing head-on with teams a three-game suspension during the 2022 season that stemmed from a campus arrest on an aggravated assault charge due to his use of a paintball gun.
“It was definitely a learning experience for me,” Melton said. “We started the season 3-0 and [after] that incident we lost three straight. I see how many people I let down — my whole fan base, family, coaches, players. Never want to be in that position again.”
Melton’s next position: NFL cornerback.