Is he a WR or CB? Packers' Bo Melton could answer yes to both

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Green Bay Packers mightiness person a Travis Hunter of their own, and his sanction is Bo Melton.

The backup receiver, who has played successful 22 games the past 2 seasons successful Green Bay, did thing seldom -- if ever -- seen earlier during a Packers practice: Within the aforesaid drill, Melton not lone played his regular presumption but besides flipped implicit to the different broadside of the shot and took immoderate snaps astatine cornerback.

It was partially retired of necessity aft cutting Jaire Alexander and being down a mates of injured corners (Kalen King and Micah Robinson), but manager Matt LaFleur seemed to genuinely judge Melton could play some ways.

In fact, it sounds similar LaFleur has thought that for immoderate clip present -- arsenic acold arsenic backmost arsenic erstwhile Melton archetypal arrived successful Green Bay precocious successful the 2022 season, erstwhile helium was signed disconnected the Seattle Seahawks signifier squad.

"He was like, 'You ever play cornerback?'" Melton recalled aft Wednesday's minicamp practice, his 2nd arsenic a two-way player. "That's erstwhile it archetypal got successful my mind. And past aft that I forgot, and present it came back. And everybody was hinting astatine it.

"When you're retired determination playing peculiar teams and connected punt you're connected the country broadside and you're retired determination doing brainsick stuff, strapping people, they like, 'Yeah, you could play immoderate DB.' So the concern we're successful now, it was like, 'Let's spot if helium tin truly bash it.' I don't care, let's bash it."

LaFleur broached the taxable again past week aft the Packers' last OTA practice. When minicamp opened connected Tuesday, Melton made his debut arsenic a cornerback portion inactive wearing his achromatic No. 80 jersey successful practice, wherever violative players deterioration achromatic and antiaircraft players deterioration green.

"I cognize there's a batch of attraction with Hunter down determination successful Jacksonville with what he's doing," LaFleur said of the Jaguars' two-way rookie. "So we conscionable kinda presented it to him, and helium said helium was up for the challenge."

Melton, however, wanted to marque 1 happening clear: He's not Hunter, the second-overall pick, who played some receiver and cornerback astatine Colorado and is expected to bash the aforesaid successful the NFL. In fact, Melton has not played some ways successful a crippled since his precocious schoolhouse days successful Egg Harbor City, New Jersey. His past snaps of immoderate benignant astatine cornerback were during his aboriginal practices astatine Rutgers.

Bob Melton's cornerback enactment connected your surface successful 3 ... 2 ... 1 ... pic.twitter.com/6XlD66ysnF

"Travis is simply a antithetic athlete, arsenic everybody knows," Melton said. "He's a Heisman Trophy winner, won a batch of awards. I'm not going to comparison myself to idiosyncratic that's done that. But what I volition accidental is I similar to tally for days.

"I'm precise versatile. Some things I similar doing astatine receiver tin marque maine beryllium unfastened for wideout. Some things astatine country that I've done that person shown this team, these coaches, that [I] astir apt could enactment astatine corner. It's conscionable thing they privation to look at. I don't person a occupation with it arsenic agelong arsenic everything's right."

Melton besides wanted to marque thing other clear: He's not adjacent the champion cornerback successful his ain family.

That rubric belongs to his brother, Max, a second-round prime of the Arizona Cardinals past year.

In fact, his member was arsenic amazed arsenic anyone to find retired Bo was playing cornerback astatine Packers' minicamp this week, particularly since Bo kept it a concealed until Max saw the clips connected societal media.

Max's reaction, per Bo, was: "What the f---?"

"I had to archer him, 'Look, man, I can't archer you everything. But yeah, I'm going to effort it retired and spot however it is,'" Bo added.

At first, adjacent immoderate of Melton's Packers teammates were caught disconnected guard.

"It's antithetic erstwhile you spot a receiver travel implicit determination and he's wearing No. 80 and you spot him successful a one-line drill," Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine said. "But erstwhile you spot him commencement doing it, we similar 'Oh yeah, helium got him immoderate Melton humor close there, for sure.'"

Imagine however backmost Jordan Love felt erstwhile helium threw a walk to Melton, past a fewer plays later, Melton was defending a walk from Love.

"That was decidedly confusing," Love said. "During the jog-through, I was mentioning that it looked similar Bo was a receiver retired there, but helium was really playing DB, truthful I was trying not to propulsion it to him."

It's not similar Melton hasn't had his moments arsenic a receiver during his two-plus seasons successful Green Bay. In 2023, helium made his archetypal vocation commencement successful Week 17 against the Vikings and caught six passes for 105 yards with a touchdown to go the archetypal Packers subordinate since 2013 with 100 yards receiving and a touchdown successful his archetypal start. He played successful each 17 games past play but had a bigger relation connected peculiar teams. On offense, helium caught 8 passes for 91 yards and carried the shot 8 times for 54 yards erstwhile LaFleur utilized Melton's velocity connected end-around and jet-motion plays.

But with the summation of 2 rookie receivers -- first-round prime Matthew Golden and third-rounder Savion Williams -- there's nary warrant Melton would person a roster spot playing lone receiver, adjacent though they similar what helium does arsenic a halfway peculiar teams player.

"We've talked astir this for a mates of years, conscionable his accomplishment acceptable and however versatile helium is," Packers wide manager Brian Gutekunst said. "You ticker him connected [special teams] and you're like, 'Wow, helium tin astir apt bash immoderate of that.' I deliberation it's conscionable thing we're going to look astatine and spot if it's a possibility.

"Bo is everything we privation successful a shot subordinate retired determination arsenic acold arsenic his quality arsenic a receiver, surely connected [special] teams. If he's capable to adhd to his arsenal, that makes him really, truly invaluable to us."