Mays Landing is an unincorporated area in southeast New Jersey, about twenty miles west of the tourist and gambling mecca of Atlantic City.  It’s a middle class area of around five thousand people, many of whom work in business management, office and support occupations.  The community was named for Captain George May, who sailed the nearby Great Egg Harbor River in 1740, and purchased land in the area in 1756.   The location was suitable for building ships using local timber and iron. 

It was here that Gary and Vicky Melton settled down to raise their three boys.  They were a very athletically gifted family.  No surprise, considering Gary was a running back and defensive back for Rutgers, the largest university in the state, while Vicky played on the women’s basketball team there.  Oldest boy Gary junior played football at Delaware State. 

The second oldest boy was named Miles Bokeem, but folks just took to calling him “Bo”, and the nickname stuck.  He was a standout receiver at Cedar Creek High School, a speed burner who ran the forty yard dash in 4.34 and a four star recruit coming out of high school.  Virtually everybody in the Big Ten wanted him.  Bo held scholarship offers from Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon, Penn State, Wisconsin, Nebraska and many more. 

He chose to follow in his father’s footsteps and stay home to play at Rutgers.  He was a solid player during a five year stretch for the Scarlet Knights, with a final season of 55 catches for 618 yards and three touchdowns.  Drafted in the seventh round by Seattle, he was cut and signed to the practice squad.  The Green Bay Packers signed him to their active roster in December of 2022.   

Bo was brought back to the Green Bay practice unit in ‘23 and activated in December, where he became a breakout player in week seventeen against the Vikings, reeling in six catches for 105 yards and a score.  He returns this summer with an excellent chance to retain his slot on the team. 

The youngest son of the three was named Malachi, which was eventually shortened to “Max”.  Also a star at Cedar Creek High, playing cornerback, Max did not draw near the attention from college recruiters that his older sibling did.  He was offered only by Purdue, Temple, UMass and Rutgers.  At first wishing to break the family pattern and make his own reputation, he committed to Purdue.  But charismatic coach Greg Schiano, a bit of a New Jersey legend as the Rutgers coach, persuaded Max to change his commitment and follow his brother Bo, then a junior on the team, to Piscataway.   

The two brothers frequently found themselves competing against each other at practice, Bo the receiver, running a route against Max the defensive back, just as they had done countless times in grade school and high school.  Max finished his last college season with good, not great, numbers.  22 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 3 interceptions and 6 passes defensed. 

Flash forward to the present, and now there is the possibility fate will reunite the brothers once again.  Defensive back is a need for the Packers, and Max has seen somewhat of a meteoric rise on NFL draft boards.  Originally projected as a day three prospect, the six foot, 190 pound athlete popped eyeballs with a 4.39 forty, almost as fast as his brother, and excellent all-around testing.  His RAS is 9.65.  Suddenly he is being re-projected as a solid second or early third round pick.  Green Bay has two selections in both of those rounds. 

Scouts say Max is good enough playing press man at the line, which fits nicely with new defensive boss Jeff Hafley’s scheme.  They say he is even better in zone, facing the quarterback, and anticipating the throw, breaking to the ball.  They call him an aggressive tackler with very good catch-up speed. A few scouting reports predict his best position is slot corner, which would make him a perfect back-up for starter Keisean Nixon. 

But it’s a special teams stat that really jumps out at you.  At Rutgers the 21 year old blocked not one, not two, not three, but four punts!  Observers have labeled him a special teams demon.   

General manager Brian Gutekunst loves to draft players with developmental upside, and the youngest Melton definitely flashes a high ceiling.  Gutey will use his draft picks to take what he believes are the guys who will most help the team, but what a captivating story it would be if the Packers were to call Max Melton’s name with pick number 41, or 58, or even 88.  It would be fun to watch them compete against each other again on the Ray Nitschke practice field in May.   

Somewhere back in Mays Landing, Gary and Vicky would be very proud.