Miles Bokeem "Bo" Melton (born May 18, 1999) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Rutgers, and was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL draft.

Bo Melton
No. 80 – Green Bay Packers
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1999-05-18) May 18, 1999 (age 25)
Egg Harbor City, New Jersey, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:189 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school:Cedar Creek
(Egg Harbor City, New Jersey)
College:Rutgers (2017–2021)
NFL draft:2022 / round: 7 / pick: 229
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
Career NFL statistics as of Week 11, 2024
Receptions:21
Receiving yards:291
Receiving touchdowns:1
Rushing yards:55
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Melton grew up in Mays Landing, New Jersey and attended Cedar Creek High School.[1] As a senior, Melton caught 51 receptions for 766 yards and nine touchdowns and also rushed for 451 yards and seven touchdowns.[2] He was rated a four-star recruit and committed to play college football at Rutgers from over 30 scholarship offers, including Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Maryland, and Pitt.[3][4]

College career

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Melton played in 11 games as a freshman and had four receptions for 83 yards.[5] He played in all 12 of Rutgers' games and caught 28 passes for 245 yards in his sophomore season.[6] As a junior, Melton led the Scarlet Knights with 30 receptions and 427 receiving yards and caught two touchdown passes.[7] In 2020, he again led the team with 47 catches and 638 receiving yards with six touchdown receptions and also rushed for two touchdowns and scored on a punt return.[8] Melton decided to utilize the extra year of eligibility granted to college athletes who played in the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic and return to Rutgers for a fifth season. He caught a career high 55 passes for 618 yards and three touchdowns in his final season.[9] After the conclusion of his college career, Melton played in the 2022 Senior Bowl.[10]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 11 in
(1.80 m)
189 lb
(86 kg)
31+14 in
(0.79 m)
9 in
(0.23 m)
4.34 s 1.50 s 2.54 s 4.10 s 6.81 s 38.0 in
(0.97 m)
10 ft 1 in
(3.07 m)
18 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[11][12]

Seattle Seahawks

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Melton was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh round, 229th overall, of the 2022 NFL draft.[13] He was waived on August 30, 2022, and signed to the practice squad the next day.[14][15]

Green Bay Packers

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On December 27, 2022, Melton was signed to the active roster of the Green Bay Packers.[16]

Melton was released on August 29, 2023, following final roster cuts and was signed to the Packers' practice squad the next day.[17][18] He was signed to the active roster on November 22.[19] Five days later, he was released.[20] Melton was re-signed to the practice squad on November 29.[21] He was elevated to the active roster for Week 16 and 17 in December 2023.[22][23] On December 31, 2023, he had a breakout game against the Minnesota Vikings with 6 receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown.[24] Melton was signed to the active roster the following day.[25]

In the Packers' divisional round matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, Melton caught his only target for a 19-yard touchdown reception.[26]

NFL career statistics

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Regular season

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Year Team Games Receiving Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2023 GB 5 1 16 218 13.6 37 1 0 0
Total 5 1 16 218 13.6 37 1 0 0
Source: pro-football-reference.com

Postseason

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Year Team Games Receiving Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2023 GB 2 0 2 26 13.0 19 1 0 0
Total 2 0 2 26 13.0 19 1 0 0
Source: pro-football-reference.com

Personal life

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Melton is a Christian.[27] Melton's father, Gary, played football at Rutgers and his mother, Vicky, played on the women's basketball team. His younger brother, Max, is currently a defensive back for the Arizona Cardinals.[28]

References

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  1. ^ Fonseca, Brian (March 2, 2022). "NFL Combine 2022: Rutgers star Bo Melton will 'play anywhere' on field". NJ.com. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  2. ^ Evans, Bill (February 1, 2017). "Bo Melton, Owen Bowles of Cedar Creek sign to play football for Rutgers on National Signing Day". NJ.com. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  3. ^ McGarry, Michael (April 16, 2016). "Cedar Creek football star Bo Melton commits to Rutgers". The Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  4. ^ Hunt, Todderick (April 16, 2016). "4-star N.J. WR legacy Bo Melton stays home, commits to Rutgers". NJ.com. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  5. ^ Nalwasky, Chris (July 19, 2018). "Breaking down Bo Melton's three-touchdown Scarlet-White game". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  6. ^ Sargeant, Keith (April 9, 2019). "Why did Rutgers' wide receivers struggle last season? Lester Erb has an answer that should give fans hope for a big improvement in 2019". NJ.com. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  7. ^ Sargeant, Keith (October 20, 2020). "Here's the stat that shows how valuable Bo Melton is to Rutgers' offense". NJ.com. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  8. ^ Sargeant, Keith (October 2, 2021). "Rutgers loses to Ohio State: Bigger concern is injury to star wide receiver Bo Melton". NJ.com. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  9. ^ Stapleton, Art (March 3, 2022). "Bo Melton NFL Combine results: 40-yard dash times wow teams". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  10. ^ Zangaro, Dave (February 4, 2022). "Draft Journey: Rutgers' Melton impressing at Senior Bowl". NBC Sports Philadelphia. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  11. ^ "Bo Melton Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  12. ^ "2022 Draft Scout Bo Melton, Rutgers NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  13. ^ Boyle, John; Kinsinger, Graham (April 30, 2022). "Seahawks Select Rutgers WR Bo Melton With 229th Overall Pick". Seahawks.com. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  14. ^ Boyle, John (August 30, 2022). "Seahawks Make Roster Moves, Establish Initial 2022 53-Man Roster". Seahawks.com. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  15. ^ Boyle, John (August 31, 2022). "Seahawks Sign 12 To Practice Squad". Seahawks.com. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  16. ^ "Packers sign WR Bo Melton to active roster". packers.com. December 27, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  17. ^ "Packers announce roster moves". packers.com. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  18. ^ "Packers sign 16 players to practice squad". packers.com. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  19. ^ "Packers sign WR Bo Melton, RB James Robinson to active roster". packers.com. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  20. ^ "Packers announce roster moves". Packers.com. November 27, 2023.
  21. ^ Kruse, Zach (November 29, 2023). "Packers bring back WR Bo Melton, RB James Robinson on practice squad". Packers Wire. USA Today. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  22. ^ "Packers elevate WR Bo Melton and S Benny Sapp III for gameday". Packers.com. December 23, 2023.
  23. ^ "Packers sign S Benny Sapp III to active roster". Packers.com. December 30, 2023.
  24. ^ Hodkiewicz, Wes (January 1, 2024). "Game notes: Bo Melton's perseverance rewarded with first NFL TD, 100-yard day". Packers.com. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  25. ^ "Packers sign WR Bo Melton to active roster". packers.com. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  26. ^ Easterling, Luke (January 20, 2024). "7th-Round Steal Bo Melton Making a Splash for Packers". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  27. ^ Kruse, Ethan (April 25, 2022). "Bo Melton – Him Through Me". His Huddle. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  28. ^ Mulranen, Patrick (May 7, 2021). "Rutgers, Melton brothers well-represented on Black Horse Pike". The Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
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