Winner: UConn’s Obi Melifonwu following in Byron Jones’ footsteps
Connecticut sure knows how to produce freak NFL-caliber defensive backs.
Following in the footsteps of fellow Huskies freak athlete Byron Jones, Obi Melifonwu put on a show Monday.
Featuring outstanding size (6-foot-4, 224 pounds), Melifonwu ran a 4.46-second 40, posted a vertical of 44 inches and a broad jump of 141 inches. Both of those were the best in this year’s safety class, and his broad jump is the second-longest leap in combine history, behind only Jones, who set a world record a couple years back.
He almost jumped TOO far!
This is crazy: Obi Melifonwu (DB – @UConnFootball) broad jumps 11'9"!!! #NFLCombine https://t.co/uWo06moyb7
— NFL (@NFL) March 6, 2017
Now, Melifonwu’s tape might not scream first-round pick, though he was a very good player at UConn. He tallied 349 tackles and eight interceptions in four years, for what it’s worth. But his size, combined with his freak-show numbers will likely vault him into the bottom half of Round 1 or the early portion of Round 2.