Mello Dotson Scouting Report
By: Michael Higgins
(Image courtesy of Chance Parker Photo)
School: Kansas
Class: Senior
Position: CB
HT: 6’1
WT: 192 lbs
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Background: Mello Dotson was a 3-star cornerback in the class of 2020 out of Daytona Beach, Florida. Dotson played for Mainland High School and was a top 150 cornerback in the class. His brother, Meiko, played for Florida Atlantic and led the FBS in interceptions with 9 in 2019. Mello was a ballhawk for Mainland High School. He totaled 5 pass breakups and 5 interceptions as a senior. Mello Dotson committed to Kansas over Georgia State, Florida Atlantic, and others.
College: As a true freshman for the Jayhawks, Dotson appeared sparingly across 3 games. Dotson became a starter for Kansas in 2021, recording 24 tackles and 1 interception on the season. He was also named Academic All-Big 12 First Team. In 2022, Dotson recorded 2 interceptions and 6 pass breakups after playing in every game. Dotson had 4 interceptions, returning 2 for touchdowns, in 2023. He also had 11 pass breakups and 48 tackles on the season. He was named a CFN All-American and was All-Big 12 honorable mention. In 2024, Mello started all 12 games and recorded 5 interceptions, 7 pass breakups, and 49 tackles. His performance throughout the season gave him All-American and First Team All-Big 12 honors.
Strengths: Mello Dotson is a lean cornerback with solid measurables and the length to win on the boundary. Dotson has oily hips to transition from his backpedal to his full sprint with ease. He opens his hips perfectly when he gets parallel to the receiver on the route stem. Dotson does well to meet the ball at the catchpoint and disrupt the receiver. His length is shown when he is battling the bigger boundary receivers for the football. He takes great angles to the football in zone coverage. Plenty of his ball production comes from timing the offense and cutting off the pass. He is able to take up a ton of field due to his ranginess in coverage. He changes directions on a dime. When playing deep, he can trigger downhill in a hurry to defend the underneath concepts. Dotson has shown an ability to contribute in every year at Kansas, he comes in polished and NFL ready.
Weaknesses: Dotson has a lean frame and can get bullied on the boundary. He can jam receivers, but if he doesn’t land the initial punch, he can get lost or tossed around. Sometimes he can be seen sitting on a break in anticipation of making a play on the ball and can put himself out of position. As a tackler, he attempts too many arm tackles and whiffs on numerous opportunities. Ball carriers have no issue running through him due to that thin frame and inconsistent tackling technique.
Conclusion: Mello Dotson provides length on the boundary and has put up ball production for his entire career. He comes into the NFL as a pro ready player. He will need to learn to let the splash plays come to him and to stay in position, but he will bring that electricity and game-changing mentality to a defense right away.
Scheme Fit: Zone Coverage
Ideal Role: Boundary CB
Best Team Fits: CLE, BUF, LAR
Player Comparison: Cam Smith
Player Grade: Round 5 (56.5)
