Just Call Bo Melton “Terry McLaurin, Jr.”

WR time

Bo Melton, WR

School: Rutgers | Conference: Big 10

College Experience: Redshirt Senior | Age: ?

Height / Weight: 5’11” / 189 lbs

Projected Draft Status: 6th – 7th Round

Player Comparison: John Brown

College Statistics

Player Overview

I’m not sure Bo Melton had much choice in where to play college football. The new Jersey native’s father played running back and wide receiver at Rutgers. His mother played basketball at Rutgers. So when it came time to choose a school, Melton chose the state university of New Jersey. As a freshman, Melton saw the field early and became a starter later in the season. He would remain a starter through his time at Rutgers, through coaching changes and less than ideal quarterback play. That did not stop him from finishing his career being named third-team all-Big Ten.

Strengths

· An effective receiver in the short, intermediate, and deep game

· Legitimate speed that he uses to get behind defenses

· Tons of contested catches and adjustment for poorly thrown passes

· Good after the catch and tough to bring down considering his size

· Special teams value as a gunner and returner

Weaknesses

· Did not have elite production

· Concentration drops need to be cleaned up

· Not a bad route runner, but needs to refine his technique

· Needs to add to the route tree; mostly ran go routes, shallow crosses, and comebacks

· With his size, may be limited to slot WR; will he struggle against press coverage?

Let’s see his work

How He Fits On The Team

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: an unheralded wide receiver and team captain who some might see as depth and a special teamer goes on to become one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. Okay, Bo Melton isn’t quite Terry McLaurin. Although they have almost the same athletic profile, McLaurin is 20 lbs heavier. Melton is fast, tough to bring down, and a good runner with the ball in his hands. If he had better quarterback play, were a little bigger, and had less drops, I think he would garner more attention in this draft class. Even with all these qualities, Melton never produced great numbers for the Scarlet Knights.

The wide receiving corps in Washington underwhelmed in 2021. Curtis Samuel could barely get on the field. Dyami Brown had a disappointing rookie campaign. Terry McLaurin was the only reliable receiving threat for Washington from game to game. But he’s entering the last year of his rookie contract and looking at some of the contracts signed in free agency, we might need to prepare to lose him. Strengthening this group from top to bottom is a must. Melton would come in and have to show his value on special teams to make the roster. From there, I think he could see an opportunity to compete with the likes of Dax Milne, DeAndre Carter, and Cam Sims to be WR4.