Da Windy City
Fansided

2017 NFL Draft Daily Chicago Bears Target: Connecticut Defensive Back Obi Melifonwu

By Luis Felipe Saccini

Mar 6, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Connecticut Huskies defensive back Obi Melifonwu does a workout drill during the 2017 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 6, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Connecticut Huskies defensive back Obi Melifonwu does a workout drill during the 2017 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Chicago Bears may have a shot to build a scary good secondary in the 2017 NFL Draft, Obi Melifonwu can be the reason for it.

The 2017 NFL Draft is almost here and we at Da Windy City are going to give you a Chicago Bears possible target every day as we get ready for the draft day craziness. Up next, we look at Connecticut defensive back Obi Melifonwu.

Melifonwu is an intriguing prospect. He played both safety positions for the Huskies and also can play cornerback. It is best to just call him as a defensive back. If you watched the NFL Scouting Combine you have seen this kid kill it in front of team scouts, coaches, and general managers.

He put on a show. Melifonwu set the record for safeties at broad and vertical jumps with 141 inches and 44 inches, respectably. Those numbers almost broke the record for the entire combine. That shows how athletic Melifunwu can be and this performance is giving him a meteoric rise on draft boards, just like his fellow former Huskies safety Byron Jones.

He is a monster with a body that will rock the NFL. Listed at 6-foot-4, 224 pounds, he is a strong and powerful tackler with an eye for the ball. He will stop tight ends and running backs in the middle of the field and will help shutdown wide receivers. Not to mention the high number of interceptions he could have with his talent and impressive ball skills. Melifonwu is the type of guy that you want to go for those 50/50 balls against guys like Jordy Nelson, Golden Tate, Odell Beckham Jr. and new Packer Martellus Bennett.

In his college career, he had eight interceptions, 16 broken passes, two forced fumbles and two recoveries. But more impressively, he made 349 tackles, with 220 being solo tackles. Melifonwu is an elite playmaker whose skills will translate to the next level.

Next: Bears Complete Seven-Round 2017 NFL Mock Draft

For the Bears, Melifonwu could be in play with the second round pick if teams in the back-end of the first round pass on him and the front office decides to make the secondary scary. Selection of safeties Jamal Adams or Malik Hooker and cornerback Marshon Lattimore with the third overall pick won’t rule Melifonwu out for number 36. He is a fantastic playmaker who would fill a position of need.

Home/Chicago Bears