Silver And Black Pride
Pair of explosive wide receivers provide a jolt; an early look at other potential return specialists
The naked eye could see the Las Vegas Raiders lack of speed at wide receiver. You didn’t need to be a football junkie to notice.
General manager John Spytek and his player personnel department saw the same. And this offseason, the Raiders new chief personnel man went about remedying that issue.
Along with head coach Pete Carroll, Spytek and the Silver & Black went back to the team’s roots of “scare you to death” speed and bolstered the roster with fleet-footed players and prospects that legendary owner Al Davis would’ve enjoyed.
Las Vegas added explosive elements to the wide receiver room and that should translate into more electricity in the Raiders’ return game. Special teams coordinator Tom McMahon needs a jolt to his unit and the addition of Montana State’s Tommy Mellot in the sixth round (213th overall) of the 2025 NFL Draft gives Las Vegas a burner who can contribute in multiple areas.
“I wouldn’t pigeonhole him right now,” Raiders college scouting director Brandon Yeargan said about Mellott during the team’s post-draft press conference. “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.”
Mellott’s workout during Montana State’s pro day was eye-opening. Measuring in at 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, the quarterback-turned-wide receiver clocked in a 4.39 40-yard dash along with an impressive 41-inch vertical and 10-feet, 4-inch broad jump. As a runner (3,523 rushing yards at Montana State), Mellott showcased instant acceleration, long speed, and elusiveness that made him a terror in FCS ball.
A return specialist doesn’t necessarily have to be the fastest player on the field, but it’s that combined elusiveness and vision Mellott showcased during his collegiate career that can be a difference maker in the pros. The ability to slither through traffic and make people miss is just as impactful as pure speed. And if Mellott can translate that from his Montana State to Las Vegas, the Raiders — particularly McMahon — have a weapon on special teams.
While the comparisons to former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman are apt — a college quarterback who converted into a wide receiver and had a long and productive NFL career — for Mellott, development at the next level has him potentially seeing a career path carved by former Raider Ronald Curry. An athletic North Carolina quarterback taken in the seventh round of the 2002 draft by Davis, Curry became a reliable receiver in Year 3 in Oakland.
Mellot’s presence in the wide receiver room along with drafting Tennessee’s Dont’e Thornton Jr. in the fourth round of the draft not only bolsters the pure-speed aspect of the position group in Las Vegas, but it can open up opportunities to use Tre...
