Ifeatu Christian-David Melifonwu // (born May 2, 1999) is an American football safety for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Syracuse and was drafted by the Lions in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
| No. 6 – Detroit Lions | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Safety | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | May 2, 1999 Grafton, Massachusetts, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Grafton | ||||||||||||
| College: | Syracuse (2017–2020) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2021 / Round: 3 / Pick: 101 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
Early years
Melifonwu attended Grafton High School in Grafton, Massachusetts. He played defensive back, running back and wide receiver in high school. A standout athlete, Melifonwu also played basketball, ran track, and even played a year of lacrosse. Melifonwu committed to Syracuse University to play college football.[1][2] He is of Nigerian descent.[3]
College career
Melifonwu played at Syracuse from 2017 to 2020. After redshirting his first year in 2017, he played in 29 games over the next three seasons. He finished his career with 88 tackles, three interceptions and one sack. After his junior season in 2020, he declared for the 2021 NFL Draft.[4][5]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+1⁄2 in (1.89 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | 32+1⁄4 in (0.82 m) | 8+7⁄8 in (0.23 m) | 4.48 s | 1.48 s | 2.57 s | 4.36 s | 7.01 s | 41.5 in (1.05 m) | 11 ft 2 in (3.40 m) | 16 reps | |
| All values from Pro Day[6][7][8][9] | ||||||||||||
Melifonwu was drafted in the third round, 101st overall, by the Detroit Lions in the 2021 NFL Draft.[10] Melifonwu signed his four-year rookie contract with Detroit on July 23, 2021.[11]
On September 22, 2021, Melifonwu was placed on injured reserve after suffering a thigh injury in Week 2.[12] He was activated on November 29. On June 1, 2022, Melifonwu started snaps as both a cornerback and a safety.[13]
On December 24, 2023, Melifonwu intercepted a pass from Minnesota Vikings quarterback Nick Mullens to end the game, clinching the Lions' first division title since 1993, and the first NFC North title for the Lions.[14]
Personal life
His brother, Obi Melifonwu, is also a football player.[15][16]