Watson, Melton Set Training Facility Ablaze With Fast 40s

Green Bay Packers rookie receivers Christian Watson and Bo Melton trained together before the draft.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Imagine running the eighth-fastest 40-yard time at the Scouting Combine but losing all your races during predraft training.

So it was for new Green Bay Packers receiver Bo Melton, who trained with Christian Watson at Bommarito Performance Systems in Miami.

“Man, yeah, going against a faster (guy), it’s like, ‘Dang. How fast can they get?’” Melton said with a laugh on Wednesday.

“We both trained together and we were running back-and-forth fast times. I knew I was fast. Christian is very fast.”

At this year’s Combine, Melton ran his 40 in 4.34 seconds. Among drafted players, that was the fifth-fastest time. He actually beat Watson that day by two-hundredths of a second.

“Throughout training, it was pretty much a known thing that I was running faster than him,” Watson said on Thursday. “He knew that I was faster than him, I knew that I was faster than him, and it didn’t pan out that way at the Combine. I think deep down, he still knows who’s faster.”

Melton, who in high school in 2016 was the Cape Cod Athletic League champion in the 200 and 400 meters as well as the long jump, will concede that fact, though he’ll always have Scouting Combine bragging rights.

“Christian ran 4.2s all training so he’s a 4.2 guy. I know a lot of people will tell you he’s a 4.2 guy,” Melton said. “I ran low 4.3s all training – 4.31, 4.30, 4.34, stuff like that. Christian, he ran a 4.2(5). I was catching him at first but then we got to the Combine and he ran a 4.36. I was playing around with him and stuff like that, but I knew he was fast.”

An outrageous combination of height and speed made Watson the clear-cut better draft prospect.

The Packers traded up to land him with the 34th overall selection in the second round. While battling an array of injuries, including a hip injury that has him iffy for Sunday’s showdown against the Vikings, he is tied for No. 1 among rookie receivers with seven touchdown receptions.

Melton was selected early in the seventh round by the Seattle Seahawks. He failed to make their roster and spent the entire season on their practice squad without getting on the field. The Packers, getting an early start on their 2023 roster-building as much as anything, signed him to their 53-man roster this week.

“He’s fast. He’s really fast and that’s what I’ve noticed when we’re out there the last two days,” said Packers receivers coach Jason Vrable, who met with Melton before the draft. “Even Aaron (Rodgers) made a comment. He was like, ‘What did you run?’ He said, ‘(4.34)’ Aaron’s like, ‘Yeah, I can see it out there. Keep that up.’

“He’s fast. He seems like a bright young guy who’s grinding on the playbook right now. It’s obviously not easy to learn Week 16 but I loved him in the interview process. He was smart, two-time team captain at Rutgers and a very productive college player. I’m excited to have Bo in the room and I think the guys are, as well.”

That includes Watson, who formed a bond with Melton during their time training in Miami.

“It was fun competing with him in everything we did,” Watson said. “I thought he was a really talented receiver, so I feel like we got to grow a little bit together. We’re in the same agency [Adisa Bakari’s The Sports and Entertainment Group], as well, so we’ve had a lot of interaction outside of training. I’m excited that he’s here.”

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