Raiders take UConn's Melifonwu in second round
The night didn’t play out exactly as UConn safety Obi Melifonwu expected.
Predicted by some experts to be a first-round pick in this week’s NFL Draft, Melifonwu was finally selected with the 56th overall pick late Friday night, the 24th pick of the second round. And the selection came from a team with which Melifonwu hadn’t had much contact.
The Oakland Raiders.
“I’m just obviously feeling blessed right now. I can’t put it into words,” the 6-foot-4, 224-pound Melifonwu said in a conference call Friday night. “… I definitely thought it was going to play out a little bit differently, but at the end of the day I knew if I could stay patient, then I would get picked up by the right team.”
Melifonwu said his cell phone was already buzzing with texts and Twitter notifications when the Raiders called.
Surrounded by his friends and family, he called being drafted one of the best moments of his life.
“Everybody came over. We just enjoyed each other’s company,” Melifonwu said. “My family was just ecstatic. … They’ve been with me through thick and thin.”
Melifonwu led UConn (3-9) in tackles last season with 118 and had a team-leading four interceptions. He was 14th in the country in tackles per game and second in the American Athletic Conference. Melifonwu tied the Huskies’ single-game record with 24 tackles Nov. 26 against Tulane. He earned All-AAC, All-ECAC and All-New England honors.
Following the season, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.40 seconds at February’s NFL Combine in Indianapolis and also seemingly improved his draft stock by recording top marks in the vertical jump (44 inches) and the broad jump (11 feet, 9 icnhes) at the combine.
NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks predicted that Melifonwu would be drafted in the first round by the Seattle Seahawks at No. 26 overall. Brooks wrote: “The ultra-athletic defensive back could be groomed to replace Richard Sherman on the island or Kam Chancellor in the box.”
Melifonwu said he met with Oakland representatives only once at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. He said he was “really shocked” to be selected by the Raiders, who are set to move the franchise to Las Vegas, possibly as soon as the 2019 season.
“They got Marshawn Lynch (who came out of retirement to sign with the Raiders), which is one hell of a back,” said Melifonwu, who is from South Grafton, Mass. “I’ve never been to Oakland or Vegas. One thing I know is California is a beautiful place. It’s warm out there. I’m kind of excited about the warm weather and sun. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to be there.”
Melifonwu called the process leading up to the draft “hectic,” but said he wouldn’t trade it. He said he has a lot to prove in the coming months.
“My whole game, my tackling, my instincts,” Melifonwu said of areas he needs to improve to make an impact at the next level. Sometimes I play a little hesitant. I just need to trust my instincts and go.”
Melifonwu joins 18 former UConn players currently on NFL rosters. He is the 21st Huskies player drafted since 2009 and the seventh defensive back taken in the draft since 2008.
v.fulkerson@theday.com
Comment threads are monitored for 48 hours after publication and then closed.