Make the case: Max Melton or Khyree Jackson?

Given a choice, which cornerback should the Giants draft

Joe Schoen and the New York Giants continue to tweak their roster in the front office’s third season at the helm. Schoen and company made a big splash at the start of the new league year with the acquisition of Brian Burns, and they signed several other pieces that give the team flexibility heading into the 2024 NFL Draft.

Still, one position group is bereft of proven talent, and that is cornerback. Schoen has spent two somewhat premium picks in Deonte Banks (24th, 2023) and Cor’Dale Flott (81st, 2022) over the last two drafts and now must seriously consider adding more assets to Jerome Henderson’s cornerback unit. That’s not to mention the possible need for a safety, which we’ll reserve for a later article.

Schoen has done an adequate job of finding quality cornerback play in unlikely spots through his short tenure as general manager. He signed Fabian Moreau at the start of the 2022 season, and he played a key role for the Giants that season. Schoen also signed Nick McCloud that year, who has been sufficient as a defensive player.

Currently, the Giants have Banks, Flott, McCloud, Tre Hawkins III, Darnay Holmes, and Aaron Robinson in their cornerback room, along with Kaleb Hayes and Stanley Thomas-Oliver. Unless the Giants trade down in the draft, they will likely not select a cornerback until Pick 47 or maybe Pick 70. Rutgers’ Max Melton and Oregon’s Khyree Jackson could be options.

Max Melton, Rutgers

Max’s real name is Malachi, and he’s a former three-star recruit from Cedar Creek High School in Egg Harbor City, N.J. Melton originally committed to play for Purdue but followed his older brother to Rutgers.

Melton’s parents were both athletes at Rutgers; his father, Gary, played football, and his mother, Victoria, was a basketball champion. His older brother Bo was a seventh-round pick by the Seahawks in the 2023 NFL Draft and is currently with the Green Bay Packers. Bo Melton finished the season in dynamic fashion with six catches for 105 yards and a touchdown against the Vikings. Their older brother, Gary Jr., played football at Delaware State University. Here is Melton’s mockdraftable chart from his 2024 NFL Scouting Combine testing:

Melton recorded respectable ball production in college. In his 2,040 career defensive snaps, he defended 22 passes and eight interceptions, was sacked, had 8.5 tackles for a loss, and made 111 total tackles. Through his career, Melton only allowed a 57.2% catch rate, which was down to 54.5% in 2023. He did commit five of his nine career penalties last season.

Strengths

• Solid overall size and length
• Excellent athletic upside with superb explosiveness
• Quick to trigger downhill – impressive short-area movement
• Physical player at the line of scrimmage with good press skills
• Solid overall footwork near the LOS
• Excellent play strength in press
• Eyes from off leverage, instinctive
• Will thrive with pattern-match eyes
• Ball skills + Recovery, and timing make him excellent in trail technique
• Elite click & close from depth
• All the movement skills to succeed in man coverage
• Does well to stay in the hip on horizontal crossing routes
• Good recovery skills when beat (which doesn’t happen often)
• Solid recognition and eye discipline in zone
• Very good overall awareness near the line of scrimmage
• Elite as Cover-2 TRAP player/ against two-man route concepts (High-Low) to outside
• Very annoying with his hands (could elicit yellow laundry)
• Shot out of a cannon type of tackler
• Goes low and relies on hit power to tackle
• Desirable physicality – massive pop on contact
• Good overall job at defeating blocks
• Had several plays late in the 3rd Quarter vs. Indiana that displayed this trait
• Elite competitive toughness
• 3RD & 9 Q4 vs. Ohio State, clocked 21.3 MPH on a true sideline-to-sideline touchdown-saving tackle

Weaknesses

• Would like to see more consistency at the top of WR’s break
• Well-disguised WR stems forced Melton to engage his impressive recovery
• Lost on Sluggo vs. Virginia Tech due to stem fake at break
• Lost on inside leverage vs. a slant for a TD Michigan State
• Lost vs. Zay Flowers on fade (2022)
• Love his tackling upside, but he’s wild and inconsistent
• Had a 26.7% missed tackle rate in 2023

Melton had a phenomenal senior season for Rutgers and possesses great eye discipline and route savvy for zone coverage with all the necessary athletic traits to compete at the NFL level in man coverage. His aggressive nature is admirable and does lead to interceptions and huge tackles, but he must become a more sure tackler to avoid mistakes. His combination of coverage, willingness in run support, and competitive toughness will likely make Melton a coaching – and draftnik – favorite. Melton should hear his name called well before his brother Bo did in last year’s draft.

Overall, Melton needs to be more disciplined when tackling and when discerning a wide receiver’s intentions up their stem. Aggressiveness is not always a virtue when playing cornerback, but if that can be controlled, there’s a very high ceiling.

Khyree Jackson, Oregon

Jackson is a former four-star recruit from Upper Marlboro, Md., where he attended Dr. Henry Wise High School. He initially attended Fort Scott Community College in 2019 before he became the number one overall JUCO player, according to ESPN. He was the number two recruit out of Maryland, and the number one corner recruit during the 2021 draft cycle.

After his stint at FSCC, he transferred to the University of Alabama and played two years for Nick Saban. He only played 83 defensive snaps through two seasons in Tuscaloosa. Jackson transferred to Oregon as a three-star. He had a solid season with the Ducks. Here’s his mockdraftable chart:

Jackson’s elite length naturally closes throwing windows, which helped him knock seven career passes out of the air. He also had three interceptions – all last season – six tackles for a loss, and 48 career tackles. He only allowed 19 catches on 38 targets (50%) in 2023. Here is my evaluation of Jackson:

• Elite length on a wiry frame with thin extremities
• Solid overall athlete with good acceleration and burst
• Explosive jumps make him difficult in contested catch situations
• Fluid for his size, but still sub-average
• Long-strider that assists his recovery speed
• Upside to be good in press
• Needs a lot of refinement/work
• Played a variety of off, soft, and press coverage
• Very good mental processing
• Understands leverage and space
• Solid speed out of break on slants
• Insane length advantage at catch point – dangerous vs. slants
• Ball location and tracking are excellent down the field
• Gets head around on deep balls on vertical plane
• (Q1 5:36 ASU)
• (Q1 1:23 Colorado)
• (Q1 5:21 Hawaii)
• Excellent disruption skills at the catch point when in phase
• Timing, pop, location all very good
• Difficult and annoying at the catch point
• Impressive ability to position himself to intercept passes
• However, he only had two interceptions in college
• Good zone cornerback with excellent eye-discipline
• Can sufficiently play man coverage, but has to maintain overall discipline
• Understands route concepts
• Deconstructed and shed blocks well
• Very good tackling CB with solid pop
• Isn’t scared to throw his weight around in the run game
• Length is a huge asset in the run game

Weaknesses

• Lack of fluidity will hinder upside
• May struggle with shifty WRs or deep speed
• High hips lead to longer deceleration
• Must rely on discipline to not get his feet/hips tangled in man coverage
• Prematurely transitions can get him in trouble against WRs who disguise their stem well
• Line of scrimmage skills in press need work
• Footwork in press is a mess
• Wish he jammed more when in press
• Tended to get grabby out of breaks
• One year wonder – only had two picks and eight PBUs in college

Jackson is a long, disruptive cornerback who is good in run support with solid mental processing in zone. He does not have a ton of playing experience; his footwork, jam, and discernment on committing his hips still need work. Still, he’s an explosive jumper who is excellent at defending deep passes on the vertical plane.

He is a solid overall athlete with high-hips that hurt his overall fluidity. A good coach who can develop his press technique would raise his ceiling significantly. As of right now, he’s an upside selection with some limiting factors and is technically raw, which can be coached up. A zone heavy system that uses press-bail could be a solid landing spot for Jackson.

Overall, it’s hard to understate Jackson’s length and size. I appreciate his efficiency as a tackler, and how he’s certainly better at securing ball carriers to the deck. However, he’s not as fluid of an athlete, and his size hinders his overall maneuverability.

Final verdict

Pro Football Focus ranks Jackson (67th) over Max Melton (80th). The 33rd Team did the same, with Jackson ranked 98th and Melton ranked 157th. Fox Sports ranked Jackson at 90th on their top 100 Big Board, and Melton was absent. I didn’t see it the same way as these esteemed draft evaluators.

I value Melton’s game more than Jackson’s skill-set; Though the latter’s imposing size is tantalizing, Melton is more versatile and a better overall athlete. Jackson will have a fine career if he lands in the right zone system where his hip-tightness is hidden.

I’m rolling with Melton, generally speaking, and specifically for the New York Giants, where two-read coverages will force man coverage upon route distribution, and overall coverage skills will be of utmost importance. I’m a sucker for closing burst, ball production, and a baseline of athletic traits that result in sticky man coverage if technique is refined.