CB, Syracuse
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 213 lbs
Class: rs-Junior
Melifonwu was a three star recruit coming out of high school in 2017, having played running back, wide receiver, and defensive back. After redshirting in his first season, Melifonwu became a full-time starter for the Orange in 2019. He built on some promising performances this season, finishing the year as a Third Team All-ACC member.
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Strengths
At 6’3″ and 213 lbs, Melifonwu is one of the biggest corners in the draft. Much like his brother Obi in the 2017 class, what makes Ifeatu such an enticing prospect is the fact that he pairs this with elite athletic traits. He is a fluid mover in space, with smooth hips and quick feet. He possesses ideal long speed and you don’t often see him getting beaten deep. Melifonwu still has some work to do when it comes to utilising his rare traits, but the tools are all there for him to be an elite NFL corner.
Melifonwu is one of the best when it comes to disrupting at the catch point. He makes the most of his length and showcases excellent timing. This has been a consistent theme throughout his career and he enters the draft with 23 forced incompletions to his name. Whilst some may want to see more of these result in interceptions, it still works out at an impressive 17.9 per cent forced incompletion rate.
An underrated aspect of Melifonwu’s game is his tackling. Whilst he still has the occasional miss, there is a lot to like. He showed substantial improvement in 2020, with good technique and the ability to wrap up pretty consistently. He isn’t always the most willing to get involved against the run, but he has the length to get off blockers and make plays. Teams will just want to see him do it more consistently.
One of Melifonwu’s big selling points will be his versatility. There is still an element of projection in this at the moment, but he has all of the tools to be a scheme-versatile corner in the NFL. Melifonwu has prototypical man coverage traits, with his great size and speed. He has also proven that he can perform well in a zone-heavy role at Syracuse. Given his size, there is also the potential for a switch to safety in the NFL.
Weaknesses
The biggest issue with Melifonwu is how he uses his size. Despite being one of the biggest corners in the class, he doesn’t play like it. He doesn’t tend to get physical with receivers and is pretty inexperienced when it comes to press coverage. There are plenty of reps on tape where Melifonwu will give receivers a clean release downfield and teams will want to see him using his physicality more. He possesses a rare combination of traits, but they are only worth something if he is willing to utilise them.
The other issue will be his instincts and play recognition skills. Melifonwu can struggle to recognise routes and anticipate receivers’ plans. At this point he is more of a read and react corner than an instinctual playmaker. There weren’t many smart breaks on the ball on his tape and this is definitely an area for improvement. At times he was able to use his athleticism to bail him out of mistakes in coverage, but this won’t cut it in the NFL.
Bottom Line
Melifonwu is an interesting prospect to project to the next level. Teams will like his ability to disrupt at the catch point and are sure to be enticed by his physical tools. His combination of traits are incredibly rare, but it still isn’t clear whether he can pull everything together and utilise them. If he can, he could be an excellent boundary corner at the next level.
Big Board Rank: #63
Positional Rank: #9
