Cardinals Rookie Emerging as Top Talent

Melton, the team's second-round pick out of Rutgers, has had his fair share of rookie struggles, though he's obviously hit a new level as of late.

“(He’s) playing with good technique right now. He’s violent and he’s pretty sticky right now," Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said earlier in the year on Melton.

Melton himself has been confident since the first day he became a Cardinal.

“I'm a lockdown corner. I can lock down anybody. I ran a 4.39 (40-yard dash). I can jump out of the gym. I can jump far and I'm a real athlete. I can play inside and outside—versatility," he told reporters after being drafted.

"I'm on special teams. I'm a willing special teams player. I don't just go out there and just play for the sake of playing. It's another (opportunity to) play football for me. I like to look at it like it’s 33% of the games so I’m going to treat it like 33% of the game. I can't wait to help my team win in any type of form or fashion.”

Melton's played in all 13 games for Arizona and has played 55% of defensive snaps for the Cardinals.

Nick Rallis' defense has already seen Garrett Williams establish himself as a strong presence in the secondary, and if Melton can keep building on his strong run of form, the Cardinals very well may have another name to add to the list.