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2018 Free Agency -- Part 2


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Is Obi capable of playing a hybrid LB role?

He's better suited for that sort of role than deep safety or corner. He's actually pretty good in press man against larger receivers, but not quick, twitchy players. I was a big fan of his coming out of college, with caveats about his intended role.
 
He's better suited for that sort of role than deep safety or corner. He's actually pretty good in press man against larger receivers, but not quick, twitchy players. I was a big fan of his coming out of college, with caveats about his intended role.

Can you explain what a “twitchy player” is?
 
Is Obi capable of playing a hybrid LB role?

Melifonwu played SS for UConn where he was a tackling machine and had no injury history.

6040/224 (pre-draft)
... 4.40/40, 1.51/10yd .. 17 reps .. 44" vert/140" lj .. 4.30 shuttle/7.07 3-cone

Played a total of 42 ST snaps and 34 D-snaps for the Raiders last season in five mid-season appearances .. 26 of the D-snaps against the Pats in Mexico (his only start). Made six tackles on the season.

Melifonwu missed time early in 2017 Camp due to an ankle injury, and then was put on IR-Return for the regular season apparently with a knee injury. He returned for the 5-game mid-season stretch, then went back on IR for hip surgery. He missed most of Camp again this year, and was waived to IR again, this time for a "lower body injury."

Today's visit may be mostly a health check.
 
Can you explain what a “twitchy player” is?

Think of Edelman's quick cuts or someone with springy change of direction. Obi is more of a linear player, but he can hang with TEs pretty well.

For some reason, even though he's 6'4, 225, the Raiders put him in off coverage against Cooks last year when the Patriots played them. Results were not favorable. Obi sat on the short route, probably assuming he had safety help, and gave up a long touchdown. He would be better against a bigger receiver when he can press and turn and burn. Much of his pre-draft hype came from the Senior Bowl, where he showed ability in press-man.

Against Cooks, start at 1:11:

 
He’s got the ideal physical profile for it, but he hasn’t shown the ability to do anything especially well at the NFL level yet.
Only 7 tackles in his career so far. Looks like he has yet to even see much on field action in general.
 
He's better suited for that sort of role than deep safety or corner. He's actually pretty good in press man against larger receivers, but not quick, twitchy players. I was a big fan of his coming out of college, with caveats about his intended role.
He has specimen type size, no doubt.
 
Think of Edelman's quick cuts or someone with springy change of direction. Obi is more of a linear player, but he can hang with TEs pretty well.

For some reason, even though he's 6'4, 225, the Raiders put him in off coverage against Cooks last year when the Patriots played them. Results were not favorable. Obi sat on the short route, probably assuming he had safety help, and gave up a long touchdown. He would be better against a bigger receiver when he can press and turn and burn. Much of his pre-draft hype came from the Senior Bowl, where he showed ability in press-man.

Against Cooks, start at 1:11:



Thanks! I thought by twitchy you meant something else ;)

 
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Only 7 tackles in his career so far. Looks like he has yet to even see much on field action in general.

On IR-Eligible to start his rookie season (knee, ankle). Returned to play in 5 games mid-season - total of 34 D-snaps, 26 of them against the Pats. Then missed the last few games (back to IR) with a hip injury.

Missed the final 3-4 weeks of 2018 Camp with a "lower-body injury", and was waived to IR again, season-ending this time.

Had no injuries in college, AFAIK.
 
Thanks! I thought by twitchy you meant something else ;)


That's great. :cool:

I actually think the movement skills have a lot of crossover. Dance moves like that require muscle control and a certain amount of limberness to perform. Good route runners often have a fluidity that accompanies their precision, so that's not a bad comparison.

If anyone is curious, I could probably produce a few GIFs of why I like Melifonwu, at least going back to his college days. I may not have them ready until later in the day, though, since work is fairly busy right now.
 
I remember this guy testing off the charts pre-draft. Football and injuries go hand in hand though. Interesting name, to say the least.
 
He's better suited for that sort of role than deep safety or corner. He's actually pretty good in press man against larger receivers, but not quick, twitchy players. I was a big fan of his coming out of college, with caveats about his intended role.
He's only been saying this since coming out as well. Maybe NFL should listen & give him a shot closer to the ball?
 
gotta imagine the texans are going to be the team that finally signs dez bryant now.
 
Well, I got bored at work so I clipped some plays anyway. Don't tell my boss. :)

I'll list just a few plays from a variety of his games. He really needs time and coaching to develop. I can't stress that enough. But the reason I wanted to draft him is his almost unparalleled size and speed combo. He's in the top ten all time of testing metrics for strong safeties. In time, if he put in the work on the mental and technique side, he could be an ideal Chung replacement.

He moves pretty well in space, despite only average-for-a-safety agility numbers in testing (they're certainly on par with or better than most linebackers, however), but he excels in straight line foot races to the ball moving laterally across the field. Considering how often our defenses struggles horizontal play speed, I'd be interested in seeing how he develops here for that reason alone. If I have time later, I'll post some clips like that. Most of the below is just standard safety play.

There's nothing special about this play, but I do want to highlight that he reacts quickly to come downhill, he covers a lot of ground, and he's generally a secure tackler.



Here's an example of the role he could play. Now, I don't like his footwork and hips in this example, and he's passive with his hands, so he gives up leverage because of these various technique deficiencies, but he's got enough length and athleticism to still find the ball and prevent a catch.



Again, not an amazing play here, but he's much better downhill than out on an island.



Some good, some negative: he's late to pick up the TE in his zone, but he does a good job undercutting the route and running through the interception. Many of his interceptions came in the red zone in reduced space, where his length and acceleration let him run along the goal line and beat receivers to the ball (an earlier pick against Temple comes to mind), or where he can shut down holes in zone coverage due to his size and speed. Still, he's relying on athleticism too much. He needs time to improve technique and develop more game sense.



Not a lot of snaps available from his regular season play. Here's a quick view of his first preseason game of his career. He played too slow and reactionary, but remember he was coming back from injury and seeing his first game snaps. I did like the potential he showed when they lined him up in the box, but he got sucked in with playaction too often, and the speed of the NFL seemed to catch him off guard. His angles were more than a little iffy.

 
Is Obi capable of playing a hybrid LB role?
That's what I'm thinking. Obi is big even for a SS, and would seem to be a perfect fit for that hybrid S/LB position. That is of course if he has the speed and quickness to do it.

Any info on his 40 and 3 cone times?
 
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