Led by Max Melton, rookies providing boost to weak Arizona Cardinals defense

Max Melton’s biggest problem right now has little to do with football. It’s more… gastrointestinal.

“Max,” defensive coordinator Nick Rallis laughs, “has to stop puking right before he goes out there and covers.”

Melton can’t quite figure out what’s going on. He says he’s “meeting with people to get right with it,” but for now, it’s more of a curiosity than anything. He feels good before and after he throws up. His only explanation is nerves related to playing in the NFL, which he sees as a good thing.

“I always want it to feel like I'm blessed to be in the league,” Melton said. “So I feel like if I'm always nervous about it, then I'm not taking it for granted.”

Clearly, Melton’s stomach issues aren’t impacting him on the field. Five games into his rookie season, he’s been the Arizona Cardinals ' best outside corner in his limited opportunities. Per Pro Football Focus, opposing quarterbacks have targeted Melton on just four of his 53 coverage snaps. Even when targeted, he’s allowing just 6.0 yards per pass attempt. He’s yet to be beaten for a touchdown.

That performance has helped Melton earn a larger workload. In Week 3, Melton was out-snapped by Starling Thomas V, 55 to 13. Last week, that split was nearly even: 33 to 32.

It’s also part of a larger trend for the Cardinals' defense. The unit remains light on talent, but it’s being bolstered by an emergent rookie class — one that is stoking optimism for both the present and future.

On Sunday, fourth-round safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson — better known by his nickname ‘Rabbit’ — was the Cardinals’ highest-graded player, per PFF. He broke up two passes and allowed just three yards on three targets. And on Wednesday, the Cardinals opened the practice window for first-round defensive lineman Darius Robinson, setting the stage for him to return from injured reserve in the coming weeks.

For now, though, the focus is on Melton, their second-round pick. While Taylor-Demerson’s increased workload Sunday was connected to nickel Garrett Williams’ groin injury, Melton’s was more indicative of future roles.

“If you really look at corner play, there's like five to eight techniques that you have to master,” head coach Jonathan Gannon said. “That's what allows you to win your one-on-one and the down. And I think he's doing a good job of working on those techniques, getting better, being a technician. But the skillset is there, the ‘want to ‘is there, the toughness is there, the mental is there.”

Standing by his locker Wednesday, Melton provided an example of the technique required to play in Gannon and Rallis’ defense. In college, he was taught to backpedal when playing off coverage. The Cardinals, though, teach their corners to use a cross-over step as the receiver approaches them. This, Melton says, is “the main technique” on which he’s improved since joining the Cardinals.

Against the Lions in Week 3, Melton had a difficult assignment with Jameson Williams, one of the fastest receivers in the league. On one second-quarter play, Melton had to implement his new skillset to turn with Williams and take away his corner route. His coverage forced the ball elsewhere. It was just one small moment, but to Melton, it was the product of months spent focusing on technique — and the type of play that has helped him earn more snaps.

“Getting the cross-over run ever since I got here has just been weird,” Melton said. “But it feels natural now. Now, it's just like, okay, I know I'm gonna either speed turn or I'm gonna get out this break fast going forward.”

There’s also the mental aspect of adjusting to the NFL. Throughout OTAs and training camp, the Cardinals spend extra time with their rookies on their skill development. That continues during the regular season, often in the form of extra time with position coaches. The rookies also have weekly development meetings with player engagement director Josh Marriner, focusing on the off-field aspects of life in the NFL — financial education, mental health, community service work, and more.

Together, the Cardinals hope that a combination of on- and off-field work can help flatten the learning curve to the NFL.

“We're in the business of developing,” Gannon said. “And we need all those guys to play football for us.”

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In his first four games, Taylor-Demerson played just 12 defensive snaps. But when Williams went down, Gannon’s words came true.

In real time, Taylor-Demerson could see his extra work paying off. Despite his limited snaps, he felt adjusted to the speed of the NFL, something he credits to his work on the scout team.

“When I got here, it was a little different,” Taylor-Demerson said. “Some dudes are a lot faster. Dudes run routes a lot faster. The tight ends are a lot better.”

But in practice, Taylor-Demerson regularly goes against two strong pass-catching tight ends in Trey McBride and Elijah Higgins. The Cardinals also occasionally line Marvin Harrison Jr. up in the slot, adding another challenge for the rookie safety to deal with. It’s in those moments when Taylor-Demerson envisions himself on the field on Sundays.

“It’s the way I practice, man,” Taylor-Demerson said. “I fly around. I might not even make the play but I'm going across the field like I'm making it. And that's one thing that I hold my hat on, I feel like the effort that I play on the field is very contagious.”

In Santa Clara on Sunday, that paid dividends. With increased roles for Melton and Taylor-Demerson, the Cardinals repeatedly took away Brock Purdy’s first reads, slowing down the 49ers offense. Per PFF, they earned their best coverage grade of the season. It wasn’t all perfect — the Cardinals still needed a handful of crucial San Francisco mistakes to win the game — but it was encouraging.

For this defense, that’s progress.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Led by Max Melton, rookies providing boost to weak Arizona Cardinals defense