Positional ranking: #12

Big Board ranking: #92

 

Overview

Position: CB

College: Syracuse

Class: Junior (RS)

Age: 21

 

Measurables

Height: 6’2 1/2″

Weight: 205 lbs.

Arm length: 32 1/4″

Hand size: 8 7/8”

 

Athletic testing

40-yard dash: 4.48 sec.

Vertical jump: 41.5”

Broad jump: 134.0”

Bench press: 16 reps

3-cone drill: 7.01 sec.

Short shuttle: 4.34 sec.

 

Strengths

Prototype size and length on the outside. Tremendous athleticism and explosiveness. Excellent speed for a big-bodied corner. Smooth opening up vertically. Impressive movement skills in general. Great ability to reach for pass breakups on in-breaking routes without committing a penalty. Impressive closing speed breaking on the ball. Knows how to use his length effectively away with the ball in the air. Quick feet at his size around the line of scrimmage. Big and athletic piece to match tight ends. Good aggressiveness coming up to play runs/screens that get outside. Potential versatility/skillset to play safety. Competitive in coverage and seems to like chirping opponents. Played great in coverage versus Clemson and North Carolina in 2020.

 

Weaknesses

Lacks top instincts for the position. Average agility and first-step quickness. Slower flipping his hips towards the sideline. Feet can get a bit uncoordinated at times. Doesn’t jam or use physicality in the press enough. Needs to be better locating downfield passes. Can get caught with his eyes in the backfield. Would like to see him be stronger as a tackler. Will miss some tackles versus shiftier players.

 

NFL comparison

Quinton Dunbar

 

Conclusion

Overall, Melifonwu is a long and athletic perimeter cornerback that best fits in a primary Cover-3 scheme that utilizes man-to-man concepts. If he can learn to be more physical around the line of scrimmage, he can be a very disruptive defender on the outside.