Henry Melton

Henry Melton (born October 11, 1986) is an American football defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Texas, where he was a running back for the 2005 National Championship team, and also played on special teams. The Chicago Bears selected him in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL Draft.

Early years
While attending Grapevine High School Melton was a second-team "All-USA" selection by USA Today; he gained over 800 yards and scored eight touchdowns as a senior. He earned All-District (5-5A) honors as a junior while rushing for over 800 yards and 12 TDs and averaged 6.2 yards per carry in 2003. He also gained over 800 yards as a sophomore.

College career
Melton's first appearance as a Longhorn was on September 3, 2005 against the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns. Melton was a backup running back in his first two seasons. He carried 132 times for 625 yards (4.7-yard average) and 16 touchdowns. In 2007, Melton switched to defensive tackle.

Over the summer prior to the 2007 Longhorn football season, Melton and teammate Sergio Kindle were arrested in separate incidents on charges of driving while intoxicated. Both players were suspended from the team for the first three games of the season. They were required to do community service and missed the first two days of practice in order to visit with a woman whose son was crippled by a drunk driver.

Melton became a starter in his senior season and had 29 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 4 sacks. As a backup defensive end as a junior, he made 11 tackles with one sack.

Pre-draft
Melton measured 6-3⅛ and 269 pounds and ran a 4.64 40-yard dash at the University of Texas Pro Day. He bench pressed 225 pounds 23 times, had a vertical leap of 34½" and a broad jump of 10'1".

Chicago Bears
He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. On May 29, 2009, Melton agreed to terms on a four-year deal with the Bears. During a preseason game, Melton returned a kickoff for 20 yards. Melton registered his first NFL sack on Brett Favre during a Week 10 game against the Minnesota Vikings.

In 2011, Melton recorded a career-high 7 sacks, third most by a defensive tackle, behind Bengals' Geno Atkins and Raiders' Tommy Kelly, who had 7½ sacks apiece. Melton and teammate and center Roberto Garza were eventually named to the All-Joe Team.

In 2012, during organized team activities (OTAs), Melton appeared in the backfield as a running back, resembling former Bears defensive lineman and fullback William Perry; Melton had not played running back since his days at Texas. In the season opener against the Indianapolis Colts, Melton sacked Andrew Luck twice, as the Bears went on to win 41-21. On December 26, Melton was named to his first Pro Bowl. In the 2012 season, Melton recorded 32 tackles and six sacks, tied for third in the league among defensive tackles. On March 1, 2013, Melton was given the franchise tag by the Bears, worth $8.45 million.