Former Montana State QB Tommy Mellott Selected by Las Vegas Raiders in Sixth Round of NFL Draft

BOZEMAN — The Las Vegas Raiders picked former Montana State quarterback Tommy Mellott in the sixth round of the NFL draft Saturday afternoon.

Mellott was overall pick No. 213 and the fourth-to-last selection of the sixth round. He’s the 32nd Montana native to be taken in the first seven rounds of the NFL draft.

The Butte High graduate is the first former Bobcat to get drafted to the NFL since 2022, when linebacker Troy Andersen (a Dillon native) went in the second round to the Atlanta Falcons and LB/edge rusher Daniel Hardy went in the seventh to the Los Angeles Rams (Hardy now plays for the Chicago Bears).

The 6-foot, 200-pound Mellott did QB drills at MSU’s pro day earlier this month but primarily worked out as a wide receiver and returned punts. NFL scouts see him as a slot WR/returner, according to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman, and he was listed as a WR in various places (including the ESPN broadcast of the draft) after he was drafted. Raiders director of college scouting Brandon Yeargan said the team views Mellott primarily as a WR but might play him at returner, on kick/punt coverage and at true QB.

“He’s a unique guy. His testing numbers were through the roof,” Yeargan said in a post-draft press conference Saturday, adding, “I don’t want to pigeonhole him, necessarily. We think he can do a variety of things.”

At pro day, Mellott tallied times of 4.39 seconds in the 40-yard dash, 4.20 seconds in the pro shuttle and 6.93 seconds in the three-cone drill, with a 41-inch vertical jump, a 10-foot, 4-inch broad jump and 19 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press.

Mellott started at QB all four seasons of his MSU career, beginning in 2021 FCS playoffs. The dual threat won the Walter Payton Award (FCS offensive player of the year) and was named the Big Sky Conference offensive player of the year for the 2024 season. He helped MSU set a program record for wins in a season (15).

Two picks after selecting Mellott, the Raiders drafted former North Dakota State QB Cam Miller, who finished second to Mellott in the Payton Award voting and led the Bison to a win over MSU in the FCS title game last season.

Also in January, the Raiders hired former USC and Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll to be their new head coach. Their new offensive coordinator is Chip Kelly, a head coach of multiple college and NFL teams who most recently served as the OC for FBS national champion Ohio State. Las Vegas also brought in Chris Beatty to be its WRs coach. He served the same role with the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Chargers in recent years.

With Antonio Pierce as head coach last season, Raiders went 4-13 and finished last in the AFC West behind the Chargers, Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs.