2013 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Aaron Mellette - WR, Elon

According to NFL.com's legendary draft guru Gil Brandt, the Colts have a private workout with Elon wide receiver Aaron Mellette. The workout is scheduled to take place on April 10. After watching some highlight tapes of Mellette, I like what I see out of him as a possible fourth round pick for the Colts.

Here are Mellette's stats from his four seasons at Elon. He was a very productive wideout, who has the skillset to be a perfect fit in the West Coast Offense.

Career Rushing/Receiving Stats

Mellette has prototypical size to become a top-notch possession receiver on the next level. He has very strong hands and tends to win on most jump balls in tons of traffic down field. Aaron is not afraid to go across the middle and can exploit a zone defense in the middle of the field as well. Mellette has the body control to adjust to balls thrown too high or too low. His height advantage also gives him an advantage on slant routes due to him being able to shield off the defender from it.

His route running is one of the best in the draft. Aaron uses good head fakes on his routes to confuse defenders and also uses great cuts to accelerate away from corners. Mellette was a YAC machine in the Elon offense. As mentioned in my article on how Pep Hamilton will use Darrius Heyward-Bey, this offense needs speedy receivers who can be great in space.

But, how does Mellette project on the next level?

He needs to learn how to run block on the next level. Aaron looked lost in space while trying to block down field and tend to watch instead of actually block. Mellette also has to bulk up and spend more time in the weight room. He finished with a very disappointing amount of nine reps on the bench press at the Scouting Combine. Another question on Mellette's resume is can he create separation from NFL corners down field? The Elon product will be a project, but if he pans out he could be one of the top receivers in this draft class.

Below are some scouting videos of Mellette from both 2011 and 2012. The games are against Appalachian State and North Carolina.

Elon vs. Appalachian State: Mellette is #3 in red, lined up at the bottom of the screen most of the time. He finished with 14 catches, 236 yards, and a touchdown in this game.

Elon vs. North Carolina: Mellette is #3 in white, lined up at top of the screen. He finished with two catches for nine yards.

Mellette could come in and play a role right away in Hamilton's offense. If Heyward-Bey gets hurt, he could step in and take his spot until he comes back. Aaron stands at 6'4" and weighs in at 215 pounds. That frame should help him against smaller corners on the outside. If the Colts did draft Mellette, he would be a deep threat. Also, Aaron could be capable of catching bubble and slant routes to rack up some YAC. Do not be surprised at all if we heard Mellete's name called by the Colts.

Combine Measurements: