Cardinals' Max Melton on comparisons to CBs drafted before him: 'Opinions are like Gucci belts — everybody has one'

Cardinals rookie cornerback Max Melton is not short on confidence — or, apparently, belts.

Selected at the tail end of a four-pick run on his position during Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft, Melton realizes he’ll be compared to those who came just before him, but he is as unconcerned about those takes as he is confident Arizona fans will consider themselves lucky once they see him in action.

“Everybody’s gonna have an opinion,” Melton said during his Thursday news conference. “Opinions are like Gucci belts — everybody has one. Everybody is going to have an opinion. Nobody is ever going to be 100 percent on the same page, especially when you’re talking about millions of fans. I know come the season, once we get a couple weeks in, I think they’ll be happy with their pick.”

Melton, a four-year player from Rutgers with a 4.39 40-yard dash, went to the Cardinals at No. 43 overall as the seventh corner selected in April’s draft.

The Eagles’ Cooper DeJean, Saints’ Kool-Aid McKinstry and Texans’ Kamari Lassiter came off the board right before him in order from Nos. 40-42.

Given the proximity, they’re bound to be grouped together in an endless what-if game — especially by Arizona supporters who wished they landed one of those three instead. Melton is aware, and he believes they’ll eventually be happy they didn’t.

The 22-year-old comes equipped with exactly the experience and swagger the Cards’ 31st-ranked scoring defense could use to get back on track.

“Very ready, very ready,” Melton said when asked how prepared he feels for the NFL. “I played in the Big Ten for four years. My head coach was Greg Schiano, a big DB guy. He coached guys like Marshon Lattimore, Malik Hooker, Denzel Ward, so I’ve got elite coaching. Best conference in college football. So I feel very ready for the NFL.”

He started six games in 2020, his freshman year as a Scarlet Knight, and then made double-digit starts in each of the next three seasons for a total of 40 in his collegiate career. He provided 114 career tackles, nine tackles for loss, eight interceptions, 26 passes defensed and four fumble recoveries while lining up across a slew of future NFL wide receivers.

One of those standouts, Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr., now happens to be his teammate after going 39 picks before him at No. 4 overall.

“I’m so happy it worked out like this because I feel like he’s one of the best,” Melton said of Harrison. “I mean he was the first wide receiver off the board. He is the best wide receiver in this draft. So to go against that every day, I’m just blessed. And I know iron sharpens iron, we’re going to go off each other and translate it to the game field and win some football games.”

Like his new sparring partner, Melton has a path to contribute as a Day 1 starter. Sean Murphy-Bunting comes over from the Titans with 50 career starts to provide Arizona its most experienced corner, while Kei'Trel Clark, Starling Thomas V and Garrett Williams are carryovers from last season without a firm grip atop the depth chart. Clark and Thomas each started seven games in 2023. Williams, then a third-round rookie, made six starts.

Unless the Cardinals add another veteran corner, those players will be his competition — along with Harrison keeping him sharp in practice.

Melton has the talent and draft pedigree to see the field and make his mark early. If he does, and it coincides with improvement by the Cardinals, his naysayers — from their Gucci belts down to their Gucci boots — might develop a new outlook.