Tommy Mellott has the potential to be the next NFL Draft pick from Montana State.

The Bobcats have had three selections since 2016 — TE Beau Sandland in the 2016 seventh round, LB Troy Andersen in the 2022 second round, and LB/DE Daniel Hardy in the 2022 seventh round.

Tommy Mellott NFL Draft Projection

Tommy Mellott is projected to be selected in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft or get signed as an undrafted free agent, per Draft Scout’s database.

He is ranked as the No. 317 overall prospect and the No. 16 quarterback.

Tommy Mellott NFL Draft Profile

Montana State benched its FBS transfer quarterback Matthew McKay before the 2021 FCS playoffs and inserted redshirt freshman Tommy Mellott. It was a risk. But it paid off and began a legendary career for Mellott, a Montana native.

He led the Bobcats in that 2021 postseason to a national championship appearance. MSU then reached the 2022 semifinals, the 2023 second round, and the 2024 national championship game.

Mellott finished his MSU career with 33 quarterback wins (second-most in school history), 43 rushing touchdowns (2nd), 3,523 rushing yards (2nd), 5,810 passing yards (5th), and 53 passing touchdowns (5th).

In 2024, he was PFF’s No. 1-graded FCS quarterback and won the Walter Payton Award as the best FCS offensive player. Mellott finished with 2,759 passing yards, 31 touchdowns, and two interceptions while rushing for 1,050 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Mellott wasn’t on the NFL Draft radar until his Montana State pro day. He showed why he was thought to be one of the best overall athletes in the FCS. He recorded a 4.39-second 40-yard dash, 4.2-second shuttle, 6.93-second 3-cone drill, 41-inch vertical, 10-4 broad jump, and 19 reps on the bench press. While he was limited in his throwing in his first few seasons, Mellott developed into a very good passer in 2024. Is he an NFL quarterback? Probably not. He will likely convert to wide receiver and perhaps also be used behind center in certain packages if an offensive coordinator knows how to best utilize him.

Mellott will be a project for whoever drafts him or signs him as an undrafted free agent. He has NFL-level athleticism. Where exactly he fits in an offense is to be determined, but his ceiling is Julian Edelman, who played quarterback at Kent State before transitioning to a return specialist and wide receiver.

Tommy Mellott Stats & Highlights

Mellott finished his Montana State career with 33 quarterback wins (second-most in school history), 43 rushing touchdowns (2nd), 3,523 rushing yards (2nd), 5,810 passing yards (5th), and 53 passing touchdowns (5th).

Last season, he was PFF’s No. 1-graded FCS quarterback and won the 2024 Walter Payton Award as the best FCS offensive player. Mellott finished with 2,759 passing yards, 31 touchdowns, and two interceptions while rushing for 1,050 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Tommy Mellott Height & Weight

Tommy Mellott measured in at 5-foot-11 and weighed 200 pounds at Montana State’s pro day.

Tommy Mellott Pro Day Results

Mellott participated in six events at Montana State’s pro day.

He recorded a 4.39-second 40-yard dash, 4.2-second shuttle, 6.93-second 3-cone drill, 41-inch vertical, 10-4 broad jump, and 19 reps on the bench press.

Where Is Tommy Mellott From?

Tommy Mellott’s hometown is Butte, Montana

He played football at Butte High School before beginning his collegiate career at NDSU in 2020.

Tommy Mellott High School Recruiting Ranking

Mellott was a 0-star recruit in the high school class of 2020, per 247Sports.

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If you ever want to have skiing nightmares, go down an internet rabbit hole of wipeouts at Big Sky’s Big Couloir. Wiping out in the infamous Montana couloir isn’t just a tough slide followed by shamefully retracing your tracks to dispose of any evidence of a yard sale. It’s full-on carnage, it’s broken bones, and potential death.

The triple black diamond run famously requires a check-in and thumbs up from ski patrol just to enter. If you’re one of the lucky few just to sign up for a run down Big Couloir, patrollers designate a time for your run and only permit one person down the couloir every 15 minutes. If patrol determines conditions aren’t safe, they won’t allow people to sign up. And if you think you can simply duck a rope and take your swing at it with or without ski patrol’s permission, enjoy retelling stories of that one time you had your pass pulled at Big Sky.



The video above is an interesting POV view. But the YouTube channel PeakRankings documented what the whole entire process is like during a day at Big Sky. It’s not as simple as getting on a lift and telling ski patrol your plans at the top. There’s the “Penalty Box,” where skiers and snowboarders will sit and wait for God knows how long just to sign up. There are multiple check-ins to see if the trams and the couloir are even open. There’s a waiver you’ll have to sign. And just to make everybody nervous, there is constant talk with strangers about the hassle for a spot, the nerves they’re all feeling, and rumors (or non-rumors) about that guy who just tumbled head over feet down the couloir once he got his shot.

A single run down Big Couloir is an all-day affair in this case. Two skiers document their day at Big Sky and the hours of effort it took before they finally got a 2 p.m. time slot — one of the last few runs of the day. Surprisingly, once they got there, three people were already making their way down the run.

Watch the entire video from PeakRankings here.

Missoula, and now also Helena, are ranked on the list of worst places in the country for 24-hour particulate air pollution, both making the Top this year because of impacts from wildfire smoke.

The findings come from the American Lung Association’s annual “State of the Air” report released this week.

With only two major fires in close proximity last summer, Missoula’s ranking actually dropped to #17 on the national list, with 7 days when air was listed as “unhealthy” for everyone. But that’s still an “F” grade for 24-hour smoke, and a “fail” in the annual report.

Has Missoula’s air quality rating always been bad from smoke?

The ranking is actually better than in some years, such as the “Big Fire” year, when Missoula was surrounded by major fires in 2017.

MISSOULA: Ranked 15th  worst for 24-hour particle pollution out of 225 metropolitan areas and ranked 17th worst for annual particle pollution out of 208 metropolitan areas -American Lung Association

 

Helena’s fire smoke was bad in ’24

Helena makes this list this year because of the smoke impacts from the Horse Gulch, and other fires, combined with regional fire smoke, placing it at 20th on the national list for 24-hour particulate pollution.

HELENA: Ranked 20th worst for 24-hour particle pollution out of 225 metropolitan areas and ranked 89th worst for annual particle pollution out of 208 metropolitan areas -American Lung Association

However, both locations continue to rank low for the problem of ozone pollution.

Other Montana areas on the list include Fergus County, which received a “C” grade for particulate pollution, with the Lewistown area also being downwind from the big fires in Helena.

URGENT: Nick Chrestenson Reports- Missoula Police Looking for Missing Woman

MT Lawmakers: Close, but no cigar

Indoor smoke won’t be a problem, as the Montana House reverses itself and votes down the bill that would have created so-called “cigar lounges.”

SB 150 was passing on a 51-49 vote on second reading Tuesday, but it failed on a 45-to-54 vote on third reading yesterday.

Anti-smoking interests had expressed alarm over changing the Clean Air Act.

Are foam food containers illegal in Montana?

Almost. Environmental and business interests are locking horns over the proposal to ban polystyrene, or “styrofoam” containers, in Montana. HB 477 is on the governor’s desk, but the measure is sparking a last-minute lobbying effort to phase out or keep single-use food containers.

Shopping at Sam’s Club could be tough without a phone

Sam’s Club in Great Falls and Billings are joining the list of 600 stores dumping in-person checkouts.

Instead, you’ll be asked to use the store’s mobile app for the “Scan & Go” and “Just Walk” systems. An AI scanner will merely check your purchases on the way out.

Montana Throwback Thursday

April 24, 2015, Governor Steve Bullock joins tribal and Legislative leaders for a ceremony signing the landmark Flathead Water Compact, ending decades of dispute over treaty rights and future water management by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.