Fine, I’ll say it: If Bo Melton ever plays meaningful snaps at cornerback for the Green Bay Packers, the team is probably in real trouble.
But then I tune into social media this week, and somehow there is an uproar about Melton, a 2022 seventh-round draft pick whom the Packers plucked off the wire from the Seattle Seahawks, being groomed as the replacement for recently-released, two-time All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander. The buzz is also fueled by the fact Melton’s brother, Max, is a starting corner in Arizona.
So, I’m simply here to remind fans that trying out a player who is in a tough roster-spot competition at an unfamiliar position is just one of those things that happens because it’s June.
It’s JUNE.
Remember a few years ago when a six-foot-six UDFA wide receiver named Michael Clark, who had mostly been a basketball player in college, was going to transition to tight end for the Packers? He came in at around 217 pounds, and thanks to a shortage of tight end talent on the roster at the time (Martellus Bennett? Yuck), the fan speculation was that he would magically bulk up and make the switch.
Days later, Clark retired from football instead, but this is just one of those things that happens sometimes before the season ever starts. You know, like when it’s JUNE.
Sure, a successful switcheroo has happened before, for example, in the form of former Packer Corey Harris, who switched from receiver to defensive back and enjoyed a long career in the league. Sam Shields was a receiver before he became a cornerback in Green Bay, switching during his senior season at Miami. Matt Jones of the Jaguars famously transitioned from quarterback to wide receiver, as did Josh Cribbs, Julian Edelman and others. Hey, even Randall Cobb played some quarterback at Kentucky.
And for now, let’s please leave Travis Hunter out of this conversation. That’s … well, different. And also, it’s JUNE.
So, Melton’s tryout isn’t about the loss of Alexander earlier this week. That’s a coincidence. It’s about giving the young man a better chance to make the roster. Given the competition in the wide receiver group, Melton’s shot to play offensive snaps is in some serious jeopardy.
The Packers solution at cornerback is… Bo Melton?!?! He’s out working with the CB group.
With Micah Robinson & Kalen King out today, and with the release of Jaire - CB is very thin. pic.twitter.com/2644bt2Ywz
— Andy Herman (@AndyHermanNFL) June 10, 2025
Returning wide receivers include, of course, Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks, and those guys are certainly making the cut. The Packers signed speed/depth guy Mecole Hardman in the off-season to add to the competition, while Christian Watson is expected back from his knee injury around mid-season.
Throw in two draft picks at the position – Matthew Golden and Savion Williams – and guys like Melton and Malik Heath find themselves on the outside looking in. So why not utilize Melton’s athleticism in an in-house tryout of sorts? What is there to lose?
For crying out Pete’s sake, it’s JUNE.
Even Melton himself was shocked that the reports coming from minicamp about his switching sides for part of practice Wednesday had caused an online uproar.
“I was like, ‘Shoot, maybe this is bigger than what I thought,'” he told the media on Wednesday. “I just went out there, like I said, gave it a shot. I kind of liked it a little bit.”
He added, “I’m still a wide receiver, so I’m not really transitioning to no cornerback, but if it works, it works.”
“We just thought that if there is somebody that can potentially do both,” LaFleur said after the pseudo-tryout, “he would be that guy.”
Packers GM Brian Gutekunst essentially confirmed that Melton’s work at cornerback was just to get a feel for what else he might bring to the team. Apparently, they see value in the athletic Melton on special teams, plus he has elite speed, having posted a 4.34 40-yard dash during his NFL Scouting Combine workouts three years ago in compiling an elite Relative Athletic Score. On top of that, the team likes Melton’s work ethic.
In other words, just give the guy an extra shot to make the roster, because good football players can be hard to find. And hey, what if it works?
Oh, and, you know, it’s freaking JUNE. Why not give it a try?
“There are very few guys who have done it in our league,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said of successfully making a full position switch. “There have been a few and when a guy’s able to do that, it certainly helps your football team. Bo is everything we want in a football player out there as far as his ability as a receiver, certainly on (special) teams. If he’s able to add to his arsenal, that makes him really, really valuable to us.”