The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Melifonwu opening some eyes
Just two years ago Byron Jones’ incredible athleticism sent him soaring up the NFL draft boards with an eye-opening performance at the NFL combine leading to the former UConn star being selected in the first round by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2015 NFL draft. Could history be repeating? Obi Melifonwu was already on the radar of NFL scouts after leading the Huskies with 118 tackles and four interceptions as a senior. Now he is in the process of going from NFL prospect to potentially joining Jones and running back Donald Brown as the only UConn products to become first-round NFL picks.
Melifonwu first began to open eyes when he was measured at 6-foot-4 and 219 pounds when Senior Bowl festivities kicked off in Mobile, Alabama. Since the practices began for Saturday’s game (2:30 p.m., NFL Network), he showed that he is a talented football player and not just a player with an impressive frame.
“(Melifonwu) passed the eyeball test,” said Senior Bowl Executive Director Phil Savage and former Cleveland Browns general manager said on a video posted to the Senior Bowl site. “He has shown up some in coverage these last two practices. I think he is really intriguing safety that people are interested to see.”
NFL Network has been airing the Senior Bowl practices. When the North team’s offense was working on a red-zone drill, Melifonwu came flying in from the middle of the field to hit former Michigan running back De’Veon Smith. Although Smith scored on the play, that didn’t stop Mayock and Jeremiah from continuing to heap praise on UConn’s leading tackler during the 2016 season.
“Let me tell you something, this fellow Melifonwu from UConn at 6-4, 219 has got some outstanding range,” Mayock said.
Jeremiah, a former NFL scout, also raved about Melifonwu.
“I don’t care that he scored right there,” Jeremiah said. “I am just looking at a guy burst from the middle of the field.”
Melifonwu was not among 15 defensive backs among Jeremiah’s top 50 NFL prospects, a list that was posted on the www.nfl. com site on Jan. 17 but that could
change.
Six former UConn defensive backs have been taken in the last nine NFL drafts. Only 16 programs, led by LSU with 14 draftees, have topped that number and all from Power 5 conferences except for Notre Dame which is obviously among college football’s A-list programs. UConn and Boise State are tied for the honor of having the most defensive backs drafted since 2008 among non-Power 5 teams.
Recruiting update
Newly-hired UConn coach Randy Edsall hasn’t had much time to waste with this being the last weekend for official visits before national signing day.
With as many as 24 available scholarships, the Huskies were left with more than half the spots to fill just a week ago.
The commitment of Florida offensive lineman Robert Holmes on Thursday was the sixth known commitment to UConn in a span of five days. That doesn’t include former South Carolina running back David Williams who recently announced his decision to come to UConn as a graduate transfer making his eligible to play for the Huskies in 2017.
Holmes, a former Florida Atlantic University pledge, is the fifth lineman to commit to UConn since early December and second to do so since Edsall has been calling the shots for the Huskies again as defensive tackle Caleb Thomas from Mansfield, Texas committed on Wednesday.