The Las Vegas Raiders landed several intriguing players in their 2025 draft class, but perhaps none are more interesting than sixth-round pick Tommy Mellott. "Touchdown Tommy" was an incredibly successful quarterback at Montana State, highlighted by leading the Bobcats to the FCS title game in his final season. He also won the Walter Payton Award, which is the FCS Heisman Trophy equivalent.
Mellott, at 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, does not fit the physical profile of an NFL quarterback. But he has athleticism in spades, as evidenced by his 9.68 Relative Athletic Score. With a 41-inch vertical and a 4.39 40-yard dash time, that put him on the radar of NFL teams heading into April's draft.
Mellott will be making the transition to wide receiver as he tries to find his way in the NFL. On that note, he has welcomed a comparison to Julian Edelman, a former teammate of Raiders minority owner Tom Brady who made the same transition. There also seems to be a possibility for Mellott as a return man if the coaching staff wants to try to develop him there.
Raiders reporter pumps the brakes on Tommy Mellott hype train
Raiders.com reporter Levi Edwards has been hosting mailbags recently as he assesses the team's roster just under a month away from training camp. When addressing a question about the "game plan" for Mellott, Edwards brought a dim reality to the forefront.
"The former quarterback turned receiver is still trying to find his footing in several areas of the game, but his athleticism should help along the way," Edwards wrote. "He did a little bit of everything in college, and the Raiders seemingly expect him to do the same at the next level. He's not only been taking reps at receiver, but also spending an extensive amount of time with Tom McMahon and his special teams unit."
Based on Edwards' report, it sounds like Mellott could be in for mainly a special-teams role as he endured his struggles offensively during the offseason program. For the segment of Raider Nation that envisioned Mellott scoring on trick plays and dominating the slot, this comes as a disappointment.
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However, Mellott is not the only young player struggling, and the coaching staff is nowhere near giving up on him. Edwards passed along a quote from McMahon that should ease Raider Nation's concerns about his slow progress.
"All these guys, it's new for everybody, it's not just Tommy. Most of these guys were the stars on their teams; they've never played special teams," McMahon said. "So, everything I say to them is brand new. The kickoff rule, a completely different play than what they see in college. The punt play is Mars and Jupiter. ... Play fast and let me fix."
The early hype around Mellott has always had two blunt realities behind it. He's making a big transition from the FCS to the NFL, and he's making a switch to a new position. With that in mind, his best path to a spot on the 53-man roster this year looks to be on special teams.