Max Melton: DB · Rutgers · #16.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Max Melton
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. Four seasons in the Rutgers secondary to date. One game to point at: 6 tackles and 1 tackle for loss against Indiana — Week 8, 2023.
Play style
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
32 tackles. 6 passes defended. 3 interceptions. 4 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
The Detroit News Oct 29
247Sports Oct 20Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Game log · Week-by-week
2023 season · 12 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 24-7vs Northwestern | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Wk 2 | W 36-7vs Temple | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 3 | W 35-16vs Virginia Tech | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 4 | L 7-31@ No. 2 Michigan | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 52-3vs Wagner | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 13-24@ Wisconsin | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 27-24vs Michigan State | 3 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 31-14@ Indiana | 6 | 4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 | Season-high 6 tackles |
| Wk 10 | L 16-35vs No. 3 Ohio State | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | L 0-22@ Iowa | 3 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Wk 12 | L 6-27@ No. 12 Penn State | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | L 24-42vs Maryland | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 32 | 22 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 3 | 6 |
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
19%6 pass breakupsInterceptions
3interceptionsTackle volume
32tackles this seasonTFL rate
12%4 TFL32 tackles · 4 for loss · 1 sack · 6 pass breakups · 3 interceptions.
4 seasons under Greg Schiano — 19-28 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2023 season · 12 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home7g | 2.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Road5g | 3.2 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.6 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 2.3 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Weeks 8+5g | 3.2 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.6 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Greg Schiano
Pass share
36.8%
294 pass / 504 run
Plays / game
61.4
13 games
Team sack rate
4.6%
304 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2023
Fewer tackles a game than most FBS defensive backs who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #34 at the position.
How it ended
Four seasons at Rutgers, 111 tackles — drafted at #43 overall by the Arizona Cardinals.
A stat line in 40 games over four seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2020–2023
1 coachPlayed every college season under Greg Schiano.
Next stop · NFL
Arizona CardinalsEntering 3rd NFL season
Arizona CardinalsEntering 3rd NFL season
