i've been playing around with the idea of running a bruiser instead of a ranged carry for some hidden reasons and was questioning the idea in particular.

do you guys think that the melee carry could re-emerge in the next season?

what champions in particular do you feel could undertake this role?

Yes, with the new item patch melee carries will likely become viable. For example with the introduction of Ravenous Hydra [the rough equivalent to Dota's Battle Fury if you're familiar with it] Fiora will probably become a very popular choice as her ult will benefit from the splash damage and do some serious work in teamfights which i've already witnessed on the PBE servers. However ranged carries will most likely still hold the advantage and remain the popular choice as their kits are designed for staying back and dishing out damage where melee carries have to get in the thick of the action and run the risk of being bursted down.

The big different between ranged carries and melee is if you build a melee pure damage like most ranged carries are built you will get shat on

People are already playing the J4 + Lee sin in pubs. Unstoppable at 6. Leona J4/Lee works too.