Malachi "Max" Melton (born April 15, 2002) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

for the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and was selected by the Cardinals in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft.

Early life

Melton grew up in the

Mays Landing Mays Landing is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Hamilton Township, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

section of Hamilton Township, Atlantic County, New Jersey and attended Cedar Creek High School. Melton initially committed to play college football at Purdue over offers from Rutgers and Temple. He flipped his commitment to Rutgers during his senior year.

College career

Melton played in nine games with six starts during his freshman season with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and made 21 tackles. He started ten games at cornerback as a sophomore and had 28 tackles with three interceptions and six passes broken up. Melton missed three games due to a suspension. He was named honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference after recording 33 tackles with two tackles for loss, two interceptions, and ten passes broken up.

Professional career

Melton was drafted by the

in the second round with the 43rd overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft. He was selected to be the team's nickelback/slot cornerback.

Personal life

Melton's father, Gary, played football at Rutgers and his mother, Vicky, played on the women's basketball team. His older brother,

Bo Melton Miles Bokeem Melton (born May 18, 1999) is an American football wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Rutgers Scarlet Knights football, Rutgers, and was selected by the Seattl ...

, played wide receiver at Rutgers and currently plays in the NFL for the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

. Another brother, Gary Jr., played football at Delaware State.

References

External links

Arizona Cardinals bioRutgers Scarlet Knights bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Melton, Max 2002 births Living people American football cornerbacks Arizona Cardinals players People from Hamilton Township, Atlantic County, New Jersey Players of American football from Atlantic County, New Jersey Rutgers Scarlet Knights football players