Defensive back, Syracuse, 2017–20
Ifeatu Melifonwu
- Number
- No. 2
- Height
- 6′3″
- Weight
- 213 lb
- Class (2020)
- Junior
- Hometown
- South Grafton, MA
- Born
- May 2, 1999, in Grafton, Massachusetts
Wikipedia readers: about 1,790 a month over the past year
Ifeatu Melifonwu played defensive back at Syracuse (2017–20). The Detroit Lions took Melifonwu in round 3, No. 101 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.
At a glance
Defense
Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls. A dash: the source has no number for that season (often an FCS season), and career totals count only the numbers on file.
On the roster
As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.
Game by game
2020 Syracuse 10 games, 54 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 12 | at North Carolina | L 6–31 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Sep 19 | at Pittsburgh | L 10–21 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 26 | vs. Georgia Tech | W 37–20 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 10 | vs. Duke | L 24–38 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Oct 24 | at Clemson | L 21–47 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Oct 31 | vs. Wake Forest | L 14–38 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Nov 7 | vs. Boston College | L 13–16 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 20 | at Louisville | L 0–30 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Nov 28 | vs. NC State | L 29–36 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Dec 5 | at Notre Dame | L 21–45 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2019 Syracuse 9 games, 20 tackles, 2 INT
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 | at Liberty | W 24–0 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Sep 7 | at Maryland | L 20–63 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Sep 14 | vs.Clemson | L 6–41 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 18 | vs.Pittsburgh | L 20–27 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 26 | at Florida State | L 17–35 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Nov 2 | vs.Boston College | L 27–58 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 16 | atDuke | W 49–6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Nov 23 | atLouisville | L 34–56 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 30 | vs.Wake Forest | W 39–30 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
2018 Syracuse 5 games, 14 tackles
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 8 | vs. Wagner | W 62–10 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 29 | atClemson | L 23–27 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 20 | vs.North Carolina | W 40–37 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Oct 27 | vs.NC State | W 51–41 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Dec 28 ✦ | vs. West Virginia | W 34–18 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.
Before the draft
Played in the 2021 Senior Bowl (American team, lost 24–27).
| Drill | Pro day 2021 |
|---|---|
| Height | 6′2½″ |
| Weight | 205 lb |
| Arm length | 32¼″ |
| Hand size | 8⅞″ |
| 40-yard dash | 4.48 s |
| 10-yard split | 1.48 s |
| Vertical jump | 41½″ |
| Broad jump | 11′2″ |
| Bench press | 16 reps |
| 3-cone drill | 7.01 s |
| 20-yard shuttle | 4.36 s |
Pre-draft measurables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Rosters and honors: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
In the NFL
6 seasons, 38 games with a stat; latest team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
| Season | Team | G | Tkl | Sacks | Int |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Detroit Lions | 6 | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | Detroit Lions | 4 | 13 | 0.5 | 0 |
| 2023 | Detroit Lions | 9 | 30 | 3 | 2 |
| 2024 | Detroit Lions | 3 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | Miami Dolphins | 14 | 52 | 1 | 1 |
| 2026 (so far) | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| NFL career | 38 | 123 | 5.5 | 3 | |
Regular seasons, from nflverse (CC BY 4.0). G counts games in which the player recorded a stat.
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