Packers' $1 million longshot breaking NFL trends, 'well on his way' to making 53-man roster

The Green Bay Packers' wide receiver room is stacked with both talent and depth. Bo Melton wasn’t expected to make the roster at the receiver position, which led the organization to experiment with moving him to cornerback. According to GM Brian Gutekunst, the transition appears to be paying off.

“Again, they screamed receiver, too, but again, right when we brought him in, it was something that we discussed as a personnel group, but then again, he took off as a receiver and certainly we needed him in some of those occasions. But I think, you know, again, it's very, very early, but after these first five, six days, I think the decision by Matt to kind of keep him at corner and let him grow there and see how that worked was wise because he’s done some really good things for us,” Gutekunst said.

However, earlier in the week, the Packers signed Corey Ballentine—leading to belief that Melton would be squeezed out of the cornerback room.

“Corey Ballentine returning likely hurts the sticking power of Bo Melton on the 53-man roster,” Ken of Packers Cap posted.

But that doesn’t appear to be the case. Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley made it clear the team needs a player like Melton. If he does make the roster, he’ll be bucking a long-standing NFL trend that hasn’t typically favored players changing positions at the pro level.

“Usually, position changes end poorly in the NFL. In the case of a receiver-to-cornerback conversion, it’s hard to compete with players who’ve played a position for a decade while going against players who’ve played that position for a decade. Melton, though, has played with surprising consistency. It’s not as if receivers are running past him for big plays, dusting him on double moves or beating him on contested catches. He hasn’t been perfect – no cornerback is perfect – but he’s well on his way to earning his spot on the 53-man roster,” SI’s Bill Huber wrote.

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Melton’s performance is a testament to how well he’s adapting to his new role. The wide receiver-turned-cornerback had slim odds of making the roster after such a position switch, and many had written him off. Now, he’s proving his worth—potentially paving the way for more players to successfully make similar transitions in the future.