Max Melton

Malachi "Max" Melton (born April 15, 2002) is an American professional football cornerback for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football 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 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. 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 Arizona Cardinals in the second round with the 43rd overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft.

NFL career statistics Legend Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD FF Fum FR Yds TD 2024 ARI 17 3 51 36 15 0.0 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 5 1 0 0 0 0 2025 ARI 10 8 31 21 10 0.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0Career 27 11 82 57 25 0.0 3 0 0 0.0 0 0 10 1 0 0 0 0

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, played wide receiver at Rutgers and currently plays in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers. Another brother, Gary Jr., played football at Delaware State.