Safety Obi Melifonwu
The Oakland Raiders 2017 NFL Draft strategy was apparent; the bigger the better. In the first and second round of the draft, the Silver and Black targeted the secondary with the selection of 6'2" Ohio State cornerback Gareon Conley and 6'4" University of Connecticut safety Obi Melifonwu.
Tuesday, Melifonwu appeared on SiriusXM NFL Radio with hosts Alex Marvez and Bill Polian to discuss his transition from college to the league.
Here are the quick hits from his time on the air:
Melifonwu talked about if the Raiders have mentioned where he'll begin practicing.
"They haven't really spoken to me on it yet. I think they know I'm a guy that can play a lot of different positions, so I'm just looking forward to seeing what position they actually have chosen for me to try out, and actually play."
He touched on how he benefits from his size.
"It works to my advantage because there's not a lot of times you see safeties or DBs [defensive backs] this size and this length. I feel like my range and my length can help me cover bigger tight ends and bigger receivers."
The former Huskie feels capable of playing a variety of positions.
"I really don't feel more or less comfortable, my first three years at the University of Connecticut I played free safety, and last year I played a little bit of both, free and strong, but I played majority strong, so I really don't have a preference, and I don't necessarily feel a strength or weakness playing either."
**He talked about watching Seattle Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor on film.
A look at the Oakland Raiders second round pick Obi Melifonwu.
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"I think what he does well, is he's just a great football player when it comes to instincts, and just believing what he sees and goes. That's really one thing that I think I need to improve on my game, just believing what I see and go. At the end of the day I know my ability, my size, and my speed, I know I have great size and great speed, so if I could just translate that into some more consistent plays I feel like I can be a better player."
Entering his rookie season, Melifonwu is focused on managing his game.
"The biggest thing is just to control what I can control. Control my performance, control the way I look at things, my outlook on things, the rest will take care of itself, and that's something I'll carry to the next level. Just control what I can control and that's things like film study, being a great teammate, being a great player and individual to the community, and I feel like if I do that the rest will take care of itself."
