The Arizona Cardinals made cornerback Max Melton their selection in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft, taking him with the 43rd pick in the draft after trading back eight slots.
The Cardinals are excited about him with his athleticism, his willingness to play on special teams and his aggressive play.
In fact, he has drawn comparisons to a cornerback that head coach Jonathan Gannon had a lot of success with when he was the defensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles.
He reminds NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger of Darius Slay, he said in an exclusive interview with Rutgers Wire recently.
“I mean, he just loves to compete. And honestly, when I watch him, he reminds me of a very young Darius Slay – they are almost identical in all their measurements,” Baldinger said in the interview.
“Max….is not as tall but every bit as fast,” he continued. “I mean all the measurables are very, very consistent and when I watched Darius as a young player in Detroit, I remember how aggressive. He wasn’t the tackler that Max is but he would challenge any receiver. If he was scrimmaging Pittsburgh he wanted Antonio Brown every play. So that’s kind of what it reminds me of Max — he wants their number one receiver inside, outside, wherever you are. And I think that’s what Arizona was getting. I think that’s what they liked about him.”
Slay was a Pro Bowler both seasons under Gannon in Philly and picked off six passes. He was generally considered their No. 1 corner.
If he can even start to approach that play in his first season, joining second-year cornerback Garrett Williams and free agent addition Sean Murphy-Bunting, the Cardinals’ cornerbacks could be pretty solid in 2024.
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