Max Melton Excited to Join Brother, Packers Receiver Bo Melton, in NFL

“Me,” Max said, an answer for which he was certain his brother would disagree. “I gotta get the lick back from when I was little.”

Like most brothers – and especially most athletic brothers – the Meltons were competitive as they grew up in Mars Landing, N.J. Not so much in football, though. Before Max was a standout cornerback, he was a receiver – just like his brother. So, they honed their skills with each other rather than against each other.

EA Sports’ resurrected NCAA Football game was a different story.

“When we were little and we were playing NCAA ’13, I think, that was the most competitive thing that me and my brother ever did. I remember, we wouldn’t talk to each other for the rest of the night,” Max said.

“If I lost, I swear, I would just leave the room. I might have went to my room and cried. That’s how competitive it was. I remember we’d be picking different teams all the time and we’ll create our own players put them on the same team and win the BCS. It was definitely fun but, when we went against each other, that was the most competitive thing was that NCAA game.”

When it was time to make his college decision, most of Max’s offers were to play receiver. Rutgers and Purdue however, wanted him to play defense.

Having been saddled with comparisons to his brother for years – and having to deal with the corresponding pressure of living up to those comparisons – he opted to start blazing his own path by focusing on cornerback.

“I’d be like, ‘OK, I’ve got to go do this. I’ve got to go make a statement out there today in my high school game.’ You know what I’m saying?” Max said. “People ask me about [living up to my brother] all the time, and it’s like, for the most part, no. But a little part of me is like, ‘Yeah, I’ve got to live up to it. My brother, he’s nice, I’m going to be nice, too.’

“But I’d say all of that really switched when I changed my mind to play defense. Now, I’m trying to hit my own little stuff that I’m accomplishing on the defensive side of the ball. But growing up, yeah, it was more pressure. But pressure makes diamonds, and I feel like I’m a diamond.”

Max faced plenty of pressure at Rutgers. That started on the practice field going against his brother, who he called “the best receiver I ever went against.” That’s saying something. His career started with matchups against Ohio State’s Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson and continued against the likes of Michigan State’s Jayden Reed and Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr.

“We’re in the Big Ten East – I believe the best division in the country. So, you’re going to see dudes everywhere,” Max said.

According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed just 24-of-44 passing in 2023. While most of his snaps came at cornerback, he did play about 60 snaps apiece in the slot and in the box during his final season.

With size, speed, production and a lot of big-time matchups on his resume, Max believes he can be an instant-impact contributor for his NFL team.

“No doubt about it,” he said. “I feel like my confidence puts me over a lot. I’m very fast; I’m looking forward to proving that. I started 40-plus games. I have a ton of experience. I can come in and learn really fast.

“Special teams value, that’s just another part of football for me. It’s a get-two is what I like to say. I led the nation in blocked punts one year [2022] and I got four blocks in my career. I played gunner all four years, so I feel like I can be very valuable and am going to make an impact right away.”

Max knows nothing is guaranteed. That’s a lesson learned from following his brother’s NFL path. Bo was drafted by Seattle in 2022 but failed to make the roster and landed on the practice squad. The Packers signed him off the Seahawks’ practice squad toward the end of the season but didn’t see any action.

This summer, after the Packers drafted three receivers, Bo failed to earn a spot on the 53 again and was back on the practice squad. He didn’t make his NFL debut until the Thanksgiving game at Detroit and didn’t make his first regular-season reception until almost a month later. Finally, during the final three games of the season and into the playoffs, Melton made his mark and showed he belonged.

“It was definitely a humbling experience, even for me,” Max said. “I watched my brother all growing up being the best on every single team he’s on. Basketball, track, football, he was always the best of the best. So, he got put on the practice squad, it was a humbling experience to me because I know how good Bo is. And I was waiting for him, I was waiting patiently, texting him here and there, like, ‘Yo, you know your time is going to come.’ When it came, he showed up like I knew he would.”

Bo showed up under the bright lights of Sunday Night Football on New Year’s Eve at Minnesota. With Dontayvion Wicks and Christian Watson inactive, he caught six passes for 105 yards and one touchdown in a blowout win over the Vikings. It was the first 100-yard game by a Packers receiver all season.

“So, funny story, his first touchdown was on New Year’s,” Max said. “I was supposed to go out with my friends. I was about to go to New York, have a good time, watch the ball drop, the whole 9 yards. He scored his touchdown, I promise you, I threw my phone across the room, I ran around the house. I didn’t want to go out anymore. I was like, ‘We don’t got to go to New York. My New Year’s is already made.’ He snapped that game off, shoot, there was nothing better than watching that.”

Well, one thing will be better. In about two months, Max will join his brother in the NFL.

It will be a dream come true, a moment he’s dreamed about for years.

“I’ve been doing this since I was a little kid,” he said. “So, I’m like, ‘It’s really happening.’ But it’s good to keep your head down, take it day by day. If you’re like, ‘Oh, I’m about to do this, that, and the third,’ then you can get knocked off course real fast. So, taking it day by day, but it does hit you sometimes, like, ‘Oh, man, it’s really happening.’

“It’s pretty cool, you know? It’s pretty cool.”