When you think of Syracuse University, you likely are imagining their basketball team. Jim Boeheim, the Carrier Dome and that suffocating zone defense all come to mind. Syracuse’s football team has quietly been producing pretty solid NFL talent for the last few seasons, however. Junior cornerback Ifeatu Melifonwu is the latest Orange player to be a featured name in the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft. While he may not come from a school with a long track record of success, he could certainly be quite a pickup for a team in the draft.
Here’s the Ifeatu Melifonwu NFL Draft profile, along with his stats, highlights and current projections.
Ifeatu Melifonwu NFL Draft Profile, Stats, Highlights and Projection
Ifeatu Melifonwu
Position: Cornerback
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 213
Age: 21
College: Syracuse Orange
Ifeatu Melifonwu Highlights
Ifeatu Melifonwu 2020 Stats
Coverage Snaps: 451
Rec/Tgt: 33/50
Completion Rate: 66%
Yards Allowed: 394
TD/INT: 2/1
Passer Rating: 94.9
Ifeatu Melifonwu Draft Profile
Strengths
Arguably, Melifonwu’s biggest strength is his size and speed combination. He can physically line up against virtually any receiver or tight end. Melifonwu plays physical when the ball is in the air, which leads to a good amount of pass breakups. He has great speed on deep balls and can stick with receivers when he backpedals early in routes. Melifonwu has good body control, which allows him to disrupt receivers without drawing penalties. He can also pack a punch in open field hitting and is good at wrapping up players, making sure they don’t get past him.
Weaknesses
Unfortunately for Melifonwu, as gifted as he is physically, he doesn’t use his eyes or instincts nearly as much as he should. He very rarely anticipates anything in advance and doesn’t watch the quarterback’s eyes. In off-coverage, he gives the receiver way too much space, which allows for easy plays if quarterbacks see the opening. When the ball is in the air and his back is to the ball, he often doesn’t position himself well to make a play. Melifonwu also missed six total games over the 2018 and 2019 seasons due to injuries, so durability could be a concern even with playing a full 2020 season.
Ifeatu Melifonwu Draft Projection
All 2021 NFL Draft Projections are taken from the latest CBS NFL Mock Draft by Ryan Wilson.
Ifeatu Melifonwu is currently projected to be drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs with the 63rd overall pick.
For more 2021 NFL Draft coverage and player profiles, check out the our NFL Draft page.
