One of the best stories of the Green Bay Packers’ 2023 season was the emergence of wide receiver Bo Melton. Now he’s on a mission to prove it wasn’t a coincidence.
Despite spending most of last season on the practice squad, Melton took full advantage of his promotion to the game-day squad, turning 15 catches into 211 yards and a touchdown in the team’s final three games. His most impactful performance came in Week 17, when he became the first Packers receiver all season to eclipse 100 receiving yards in a single game. His 105 yards on six catches, including a touchdown, helped the team to a comfortable victory over the Minnesota Vikings on New Year’s Eve.
Over the past six months, Melton has clearly changed the trajectory of his career. After being selected in the seventh round of the 2022 draft by the Seattle Seahawks, he is projected to be a significant contributor to Green Bay’s offense.
Melton’s strenuous work and perseverance certainly caught the attention of his head coach.
“I think it’s a great story if you’re persistent and you keep pushing forward even when the naysayers are kind of against you,” Matt LaFleur said. “He did an outstanding job. He is very disciplined in his approach and the way he is. He is very consistent on a day-to-day basis and brings enormous value.
“That’s what this league is about. Some guys come in and make an immediate impact. Others need to continue to fight and show the resilience it takes and just continue to cut themselves off. When you get an opportunity like this, you want to see these guys go out there and perform, and he did that.”
So far in the offseason, Melton is picking up right where he left off.
During Wednesday’s OTA practice, he made the play of the day, using his blazing 4.3 speed to get past the defense for a 75-yard touchdown. It was a perfect throw by Jordan Love, who enjoyed watching Melton transform from a wide-eyed practice squad player to a seasoned professional who expects good plays.
“I think any time you can go out there and prove who you are as a player, it helps you gain confidence,” Love said. “Because he’s the same guy every day. You know what you’ll get. Last year Bo came in and he certainly wasn’t a starter, but he worked. Every day you saw him on the scout team making a play, scoring a touchdown and celebrating, and he treated it like a game.
“He comes in and works, so it wasn’t a surprise when his number was called and he comes out and plays the part. You see he continued that this year, but you know what you’re going to get. He’s a consistent guy, he goes out there, works and tries to find ways to improve things.
Time will tell how Melton incorporates the offensive game plan each week. He can provide an edge in defense, but so can Christian Watson. Meanwhile, Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks have unique skill sets and playmaking ability that defenses need to reckon with. The beauty is that the Packers don’t have a clear-cut number one receiver, which is one of the reasons this unit could be lethal in 2024.
“There are a lot of guys who can play. We have a great staff that can make the best plays,” Melton said. “We have a lot of guys who can do different things: speed, route runners and physical players. It can certainly be threatening.
