Three South Jersey players from Rutgers begin their NFL quest

Three players with South Jersey roots from Rutgers have begun their quest to play in the NFL. Bo Melton, a receiver from Cedar Creek High, was drafted in the seventh round by the Seattle Seahawks, the 229th overall selection.

 Running back Isaih Pacheco, a running back from Vineland High was selected in the seventh round by the Kansas City Chiefs, 251st overall.

Linebacker Tyreek Maddox-Williams, a Timber Creek graduate, signed a rookie free-agent contract with the Los Angeles Chargers.

This season Melton led Rutgers with 823 all-purpose yards. He had 55 receptions for 618 yards and three touchdowns. He also had nine carries for 51 yards and averaged 7.6 yards on five punt returns and 23.2 yards on five kickoff returns. Pro Football Focus named him a third-team All-Big 10 choice.

He was named the Rutgers Offensive MVP.

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Melton’s ability as a return man certainly has enhanced his value. He was extremely consistent, with at least five catches in seven games.

The 5-11, 195-pound Melton played in 56 career games, the third-most in school history. He had 164 career receptions for 2,011 yards and 11 touchdowns. A two-time captain, Melton ended with 2,565 career all-purpose yards.

Melton comes from an athletic family with deep Rutgers roots. His younger brother Max Melton, was a starting cornerback for the Scarlet Knights this past year as a freshman. Max Melton had 28 tackles and six pass break-ups.

Their father Gary Melton, a standout at Absegami, was a wide receiver and running back for Rutgers from 1987-91 and his mother Vicky completed on the Rutgers basketball team from 1989-93.

Pacheco (5-11, 215) was a quarterback at Vineland but made the smooth transition to becoming a college running back.

This past season he rushed for 647 yards (3.9 avg.) and five touchdowns. For his career, Pacheco rushed for 2,442 yards (4.3 avg.) and 18 touchdowns. He is ranked 11th in school history with 3,039 career all-purpose yards.

The former Vineland star turned some heads at the NFL combine by running the 40-yard dash in 4.37 seconds, the best among running backs at the event. This season he also earned Academic All-Big 10 honors.

Maddox-Williams (6-1, 226) spent six seasons at Rutgers and was a five-time Academic All-American. This past season in eight games, he made 27 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss, two pass breakups and one fumble recovery. 

During his career, he made 27 starts and appeared in 52 games. He had 206 career tackles, 14.5 for loss, nine pass breakups, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

This season Rutgers finished 5-8, ending with a 38-10 loss to Wake Forest during the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl in Jacksonville.

Photo Credit: Rich Graessle/Rutgers Athletics

Author: Marc Narducci