Raiders’ Sixth-Round Surprise Tommy Mellott: The Unconventional Talent Defying All Expectations

If you’ve caught wind of the Raiders’ latest draft maneuver, you probably noticed something pretty intriguing about Tommy Mellott. Here’s a guy who helmed the offense at Montana State as a quarterback but was suddenly unveiled by the Raiders as a wide receiver—a shift that immediately drew comparisons to none other than Julian Edelman. Now, that’s no small shadow to step into, especially with Tom Brady lurking in the Raiders’ ownership circle. What’s really got me interested, though, is how the team envisions Mellott not just catching passes but contributing heavily on special teams, maybe even dabbling back at quarterback. It’s a lot to unpack, and while this kind of position flip doesn’t always pan out, the Raiders clearly believe they’ve found an adaptable athlete with some serious upside. Whether Mellott will follow in Edelman’s footsteps or carve his own path remains to be seen—but there’s no denying he’s one to watch this fall. <a href="https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/raiders/raiders-do-it-all-rookie-ready-to-help-at-wr-special-teams-even-qb-3367240/?utmcampaign=widget&utmmedium=topnews&utmsource=sportsraiders&utmterm=Raiders%20%E2%80%98do-it-all%E2%80%99%20rookie%20ready%20to%20help%20at%20WR%2C%20special%20teams%2C%20even%20QB” target=”blank” rel=”noopener”>LEARN MORE.

“I wouldn’t pigeonhole him right now,” Yeargan said, via Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I would say we view him as a receiver that’s going to have a lot of value in the kicking game, potentially as a returner, as a cover player, maybe play some quarterback, too. We’re looking [at him] really as an athlete/receiver, but he’s a unique guy.”Edelman made the same transition when he went from Kent State to the Patriots and Tom Brady’s presence as a Raiders co-owner only made it easier to see a link between the two players. Edelman was also an outstanding punt returner early in his career and Raiders college scouting director Brandon Yeargan suggested that special teams is also an area the Raiders think will be part of Mellott’s portfolio.For every Edelman, there are plenty of other players who can’t make change positions or thrive after making the jump to the NFL so the offseason chatter may not lead to anything substantive come the fall. The Raiders need all the help they can get, though, and Mellott will get a chance to provide some. Raiders sixth-round pick Tommy Mellott played quarterback at Montana State, but the team announced him as a wide receiver when they selected him last month and that led to a lot of Julian Edelman references.