NEW EDELMAN ALERT?! Raiders Fans Hype Up Rookie Tommy Mellott — Too Soon?!

The ink on his rookie contract is barely dry, but already the NFL media machine is trying to do what it does best—turn a Day 3 draft pick into a mythical creature of football destiny.

Enter Tommy Mellott, the Raiders’ new golden boy, a wide receiver-slash-quarterback-slash-gadget-everything player who apparently reminds some overly caffeinated sports pundits of none other than Julian Edelman.

Yes, that Julian Edelman.

Super Bowl MVP.

Tom Brady’s security blanket.

The guy who managed to turn being 5’10” and scrappy into a Hall of Fame argument.

Now Mellott, a seventh-rounder out of Montana State with more highlight reels against Idaho than against SEC defenses, is supposedly next in line to carry that crown.

You can’t make this stuff up.

Actually, scratch that—we can, and the NFL draft hype cycle already has.

The comparison came the moment Mellott touched down in Las Vegas.

One overzealous podcast host declared, “He’s gritty, he’s clutch, he’s a locker room guy—you know, the classic Edelman mold. ”

Translation: he’s short, white, and plays with “heart. ”

Never mind that Edelman spent years proving himself before anyone outside New England could spell his name.

Mellott, meanwhile, has yet to run a route against actual NFL cornerbacks who aren’t delivering pizza during the offseason.

But the Raiders fanbase, desperate for a fairy tale amid decades of organizational chaos, is already buying the narrative wholesale.

One fan was overheard at Allegiant Stadium saying, “This is our Edelman moment.

Forget Davante Adams.

Forget drafting a franchise quarterback.

We’ve got Mellott. ”

Of course, the Raiders themselves are fanning the flames.

Their social media team has already put out a highlight package showing Mellott running a crisp slant in shorts against air, overlaid with inspirational EDM music.

“The future is here,” the caption read.

Future of what? Practice squad footage compilations? We’ll let you decide.

Meanwhile, reporters are drooling over his “intangibles. ”

When asked what that means, one scout admitted, “We don’t know.

It’s just a word we use when a guy doesn’t have elite measurables but we don’t want to crush dreams. ”

Let’s be honest here: Edelman wasn’t just a plucky underdog.

He was a receiver who carved out a role with ruthless precision, endless work ethic, and the luck of having Tom Brady force-feed him targets like a Thanksgiving turkey.

Mellott, on the other hand, is walking into a Raiders offense run by whoever survives Josh McDaniels’ ghost coaching tree and is expected to catch passes from Aidan O’Connell or Gardner Minshew.

That’s not exactly the fast track to Canton.

Still, the hype merchants don’t care.

One self-proclaimed NFL insider went as far as to tweet, “Mellott to the Raiders will go down as the steal of the draft.

Quote me. ”

We’ll gladly quote you in two years when Mellott is selling car insurance in Billings.

But let’s not write him off completely.

Mellott does have a flair for drama.

At Montana State, he played quarterback, wide receiver, and part-time savior, often carrying the offense on his back like a cowboy lugging hay bales.

His leadership is undeniable, his heart is oversized, and he’s already mastered the art of sounding humble in interviews.

“I just want to help the team in any way possible,” Mellott said, which roughly translates to, “Please don’t cut me. ”

His versatility has earned him the nickname “Renaissance Man of the Gridiron” in certain circles, though let’s be real—it’s mostly his aunt and two beat writers pushing that branding.

Naturally, the media frenzy is already out of control.

One Las Vegas radio station started a segment titled “Mellott Mania Mondays,” where callers can dial in to compare him to their favorite NFL legends.

In week one alone, Mellott was likened to Edelman, Wes Welker, Taysom Hill, and, bizarrely, Jerry Rice.

When asked if that was a stretch, the caller replied, “Rice was good, but did he ever play quarterback in college? Didn’t think so. ”

Somewhere, Jerry Rice’s gold jacket just rolled its eyes.

Fake experts are lining up to add fuel to the fire.

Dr. Phil Gridiron, our in-house sports psychologist (okay, he’s just a guy we found at a Buffalo Wild Wings), claims Mellott has “the exact same DNA makeup as Edelman. ”

When pressed for evidence, he muttered something about “scrappiness chromosomes” before ordering another plate of boneless wings.

Even stranger, an anonymous Raiders coach whispered to reporters that Mellott “could be the new face of the franchise. ”

Considering the current face is Mark Davis’ haircut, the bar isn’t exactly high.

Fans, meanwhile, are already envisioning Mellott catching game-winning passes in the Super Bowl.

One fan account even photoshopped him in a confetti shower, holding the Lombardi Trophy while Davante Adams looks on in admiration.

The caption? “Future of Raider Nation. ”

Yes, future, as in maybe by Madden 2047.

Still, you have to admire the delusion.

After all, what else is fandom if not clinging to irrational hope while your team drafts its way into oblivion?

The funniest part of this saga is how quickly the Raiders are leaning into it.

Mellott jerseys are already popping up at the team store, despite him being pick No. 213.

The team even teased a “Mellott’s Playbook” YouTube series where he’ll supposedly break down plays.

Spoiler alert: it’s probably just him drawing doodles of pirate ships in a notebook.

But hey, the Raiders need content, and Mellott is currently more interesting than another press conference where Davante Adams sighs about his quarterback situation.

Of course, the real Edelman himself might be side-eyeing this comparison.

Word on the street is that Edelman texted a former teammate saying, “Good luck to the kid, but I’ll believe it when I see it.

” Translation: this hype train is premature at best, delusional at worst.

Edelman clawed his way through the NFL for years before anyone gave him credit.

Mellott hasn’t even survived training camp yet.

But hey, why let reality stop a good headline?

Here’s the thing: the NFL thrives on underdog stories.

Every year, some late-round pick is dubbed “the next big thing. ”

Ninety-nine percent of them flame out before their rookie deal ends.

The other one percent become Edelman, Antonio Brown (minus the helmet drama), or Brock Purdy.

Is Mellott destined to be in that elite one percent? If you ask Raiders fans, absolutely.

If you ask the rest of the football world, the jury is still out, and by “out” we mean laughing hysterically.

So let’s just enjoy the circus for what it is.

Maybe Mellott will turn into a slot machine jackpot for the Raiders, dazzling with clutch third-down catches and inspiring underdog montages.

Or maybe he’ll become a footnote in Raiders history, forever remembered as “that guy we once called the next Edelman. ”

Either way, the hype is here, the comparisons are flying, and Mellott has already achieved what most seventh-rounders dream of: he’s relevant.

For now.

And if he doesn’t pan out? Don’t worry.

The Raiders will just call the next undersized rookie “the next Edelman,” and the cycle will repeat.

Because in the NFL, hope isn’t just eternal—it’s marketable.

And Tommy Mellott, whether he likes it or not, is now the latest shiny object in Vegas.

One thing’s for sure: this kid better buy stock in Advil, because the headaches of living up to Edelman comparisons are just getting started.