BOZEMAN — Over the past few months, Tommy Mellott has gone from Montana State's standout quarterback, one beloved by the community and the Treasure State, to a Las Vegas Raider.
On April 26, Mellott was surrounded by friends and family as he officially got the call he was going to be selected in the sixth round of the NFL Draft with the 213th overall pick.
"We were getting to the end of the sixth round, and I was looking at some of the teams I had talked to a little bit in the process, I really did not have the Raiders on my radar at all," Mellott explained. "Even when the phone call ended, I was told I was going to be drafted to the Raiders, and I couldn’t even believe it at that moment at all, still."
His mother, Dina, also recalled just how special that moment was.
"He got off the phone and said it was the Raiders, we had not even heard that the Raiders were even interested in him," Dina Mellott said. "We were just like, ‘Oh my God, the Las Vegas Raiders.’ What a great place to go. We used to live in Vegas, and (it’s) easy to get there. Butte people love to go to Vegas, so let’s go."
Tommy Mellott credited his support system for getting him to where he is today, recognizing what his father, Shane, gave up for him to succeed.
"He had to provide for his family very early on in his life, and I’m sure that he would’ve been a great athlete, but nobody would’ve known because he never had the opportunity to," Tommy Mellott said. "Just for what he sacrificed throughout his life to give us every opportunity we could ever have, it means the world to try and make the most of that."
In the first few weeks since being drafted, he garnered national attention. The NFL Network's Good Morning Football did a segment on the former Bobcat and his switch to play wide receiver in the NFL.
#RaiderNation it's time to introduce you to Touchdown Tommy Mellott 😤@KyleBrandt | @Tommy_Mellott pic.twitter.com/2VSVEFXXcy
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) May 8, 2025
He was even this year's "Prospect X" in a piece by ESPN's Kalyn Kahler. The annual article is dedicated to a highly regarded, yet overlooked, player whose identity was kept anonymous until after the draft.
PROSPECT X
— Kalyn Kahler (@kalynkahler) April 22, 2025
For the seventh straight year- I have set out to find the most overlooked prospect in the draft: “He’s a wild card that you want to have.”
A local hero, but an afterthought to the league until recently. Do you know who it is?https://t.co/zLcA91CVv4
Now, he's taken in everything he can thus far with the Raiders. Pete Carroll is in his first year as Las Vegas' head coach.
"The culture over there has been unbelievable," Tommy Mellott said. "I’ve talked to so many people, I’ve talked to Ty (Okada) before I got down there, and you have no idea what to expect. You have no precedent, really, for what an NFL team looks like, but it’s just been an amazing impression on me."
Okada, who was coached by Carroll in his rookie year with the Seattle Seahawks, gave some insight on the call with Mellott. He congratulated him and gave him advice about what to expect as he enters the league.
"Coach Pete’s a great culture setter and just nuances with how he runs an organization and all really great things," Okada said. "A big part of the conversation was just how excited I was for him. I’m sitting there across the phone, like, ‘Man, I’m so pumped for you.’ And he’s like, 'Yeah, that’s great, but what do I need to know?'"
As "Touchdown Tommy" continues his next chapter as a pro, his circle knows he will make the most of his opportunity in Vegas.
"We always thought something great was always going to happen to him because he was always just so driven and just different, and so we always knew something was going to be big for Tommy," Dina Mellott said. "We believe it still will be. I mean, I know he’s a Raider, and I do believe he’s going to make a big name for himself and for the Raiders."
