The Seattle Seahawks must have watched as the Green Bay Packers took a player that Seattle had drafted in 2022 and had him change positions. He also changed sides of the ball. There seemed to be no way the experiment would work, and yet it has so far.
Bo Melton was taken in the seventh round of the 2022 draft. He didn't play as a rookie, but was signed to the Seahawks' practice squad. In December, the Packers signed the wide receiver to their active roster, though he didn't play in a real game.
He appeared in five games for Green Bay in his second season and had 16 catches, though he didn't play until Week 12. He had six catches for 105 yards in Week 17.
Seattle Seahawks watch as Bo Melton becomes a cornerback with the Green Bay Packers
He was far from great, however, and was clearly not ever going to be a focal part of the Packers' passing attack. Last season, he was more of a special teams player than an offensive threat. He could have been facing the last of his career because he had no real spot at wide receiver.
Instead, he has gotten a bit of a rebirth. No longer is Bo Melton a wideout, but he is now a cornerback. His move to the new position might have been a last-ditch effort to stay in the league, but he clearly outperformed what anyone thought he could do because he stuck on Green Bay's active roster as a defensive back.
Still, one might wonder why. While he gave up just 38 yards on four receptions in the preseason (and, let's be fair, he also broke up a pass), he was absolutely atrocious when it came to tackling. He whiffed on 37.5 percent of his tackle attempts. He was also terrible in run defense.
However, Green Bay obviously sees something in Melton that Seattle never did. Having a player change positions in the NFL is rare, unless it happens to be something that usually makes sense, such as an offensive tackle to guard. But an underperforming wide receiver moving to cornerback is exceedingly rare.
Bo Melton is making the most of it so far. He is listed as a backup at cornerback, but he will certainly see real reps. At 5'11" and nearly 200 pounds, he has the size to be a physical corner. Melton could become a long-time defensive back in the NFL, but no one for the Seattle Seahawks in 2022 would have guessed that.