“How many guys nowadays are gonna do that? I don’t think there’s many of them. So, chances are, the guy’s gonna succeed.”
Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley is a big fan of receiver-turned-cornerback Bo Melton. After dabbling at playing both receiver and cornerback earlier this offseason, Melton has made the full transition to cornerback in training camp, complete with a number change and his position adjusted on the Packers’ official website.
When Hafley was asked about Melton’s position swap, going into Year 4 of his NFL career, he explained that Melton’s athletic ability matches well with the high bar of the cornerback position. For reference, Melton’s 4.34-second 40-yard dash would rank among the top two percent of cornerbacks — per Relative Athletic Score — and his 4.10-second shuttle would rank in the top 17 percent.
After noting the difficulty of the position, Hafley explained why he believes that Melton will succeed in his transition:
I credit Bo. I don’t think there are many guys in this league who are just gonna be — “Hey, what do you think about doing this?” “Yeah, I’ll do it. Whatever’s best for the team.” How many guys nowadays are gonna do that? I don’t think there’s many of them. So, chances are, the guy’s gonna succeed. And I believe in him, and I’m excited about where this could go.
But at the same time, I think everybody’s gotta kinda just — alright, let’s slow down, everything’s not gonna look perfect. But I was fired up. I love the guy. You win with guys like Bo.
Hopefully, Hafley is right. Considering the lack of depth in the Packers’ cornerback room, they really need a breakthrough at the position — be it Melton or someone else.