bvhawkeye

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If McDowell is on the board in the 2nd (highly doubtful, but then again the same was said about Randy Gregory too) then you can bet Jerry'll take him. Loves the "Gamble on Greatness" in the 2nd round... and you can also probably bet that he'll be a wash out
 

dbair1967

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FWIW Broaddus is under the impression that the team has a growing love for Malik McDowell of Michigan St. Talented with a very inconsistent motor. I do find it interesting he was the last of the 30 visits, kind of downplaying their interest.

Yeah I saw that.

Seems like a similar type player to David Irving to me. Both guys are guys that can play LDE or inside on pass rush downs, but it still leaves that hole at RDE with two major questions marks as the guys who'd man it (Lawrence due to back, Tapper due to back and never having played a down in the NFL). Benson Mayowa is a rotation jag and Demontre Moore is a reclamation project.
 

dbair1967

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This is another guy I'm warming up to. Not at 28, but would definitely be ok with getting him at our pick in 2nd (or somewhere around there). Yeah he killed it at the combine much like Byron Jones did, but his clips are pretty good. A lot to like about him.


Meet Obi Melifonwu, the NFL draft's biggest workout freak
Brendan Hall

Just a few days after setting the football landscape aflame with his off-the-charts performance at the NFL combine in Indianapolis, safety Obi Melifonwu was back in the gym.

The former UConn star was in his hometown of Grafton, Massachusetts, getting in some evening cardio at the local Anytime Fitness chain. He also greeted some friends of his high school-aged younger brother Ifeatu. After all, it's not every day you see a 6-foot-4, 225-pound NFL draft prospect on the treadmill next to you at your neighborhood gym.

Melifonwu said he doesn't get stopped around town these days as much as one would think -- and he said, "I really wouldn't want it any other way. I don't want people to treat me differently."

But given his sudden fame, Melifonwu never can go full stealth these days.

"I really don't think I'm famous. Last month has definitely been a whirlwind," Melifonwu said. "I kind of expected it. I've been playing football since the age of 9, and I've always wanted to go to the NFL, and I knew if I did everything right, it would work out."

Yo Murphy, head trainer at ASPI Training, thought his client would achieve an 11-foot-7-inch broad jump and a 43-inch vertical leap, although Murphy later wrote down "45" because of Melifonwu's unshakable declaration he'd get there. Melifonwu cleared the broad jump with an 11-9, hit 44 in the vertical, and ran a 4.40 40-yard dash that seemed inscrutable for someone with his frame. In a matter of hours, the once lightly recruited high school star was an overnight sensation from coast to coast.

"I was hyped," Murphy said.

Connecticut safety Obi Melifonwu ran the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds at 224 pounds. AP Photo/David J. Phillip

Back home, Melifonwu's high school coach -- the one who first introduced Melifonwu to the only Division I FBS school that would extend a scholarship offer -- shrugged at the results.

"His ceiling is unlimited," said Chris McMahon, Melifonwu's defensive coordinator at Grafton High, who since has taken over as head coach. "Athletically, obviously, he's off the charts. And football-wise, he just keeps getting better. Whatever team ends up drafting him is getting a unique guy."

Melifonwu put up impressive numbers during his 2016 campaign with UConn, earning first team All-AAC honors with a team-leading 118 tackles and four interceptions. Some of his best performances included a two-interception game against Temple, with both picks coming in his own end zone. And he had 24 tackles against Tulane. Now, he's ranked as the 45th overall prospect in the 2017 NFL draft by ESPN draft expert Todd McShay.

Born in the Islington borough of London to Nigerian-born parents before settling in Massachusetts for most of his life, there's a disarming side to Melifonwu. For one, he won't deny his oldest brother Michael's claim that he bakes one heck of a cookie -- "I've got a sweet tooth," he laughs. For another, he credits his low profile to his mother, Tina, a nurse who forged a tight bond with her four sons.

"She's definitely been my everything," Melifonwu said. "Everything you see in me was instilled by her -- my patience, the humility I have, the relationship I have with Christ. She's one of the [things] that drives me. I just want to make her proud. She's sacrificed a lot for our family."

Five years ago, Melifonwu was a high school recruit who few wanted. But former UConn defensive coordinator Don Brown heard about Melifonwu through longtime friend McMahon. So in spring 2011, Brown came to Grafton's weight room to see what all the fuss was about. Brown, now the defensive coordinator at Michigan, puts a premium on length, speed and versatility, and Melifonwu had all of those qualities. Melifonwu jumped nearly 40 inches in the vertical and ran the 40 in the high 4.5s. Melifonwu's first Division I FBS offer came a day later from UConn, and his commitment came soon after.

Nine months went by with no other scholarship offers, leaving a bitter taste that still lingers with Melifonwu nearly six years later.

"I think I still have a chip on my shoulder now, being that it was my only offer," Melifonwu said after wrapping up his pro day last month, where scouts from nearly 20 NFL teams were on hand. "Now, NFL scouts and NFL coaches are looking at me, and I think coaches around the country are thinking, 'We really missed out on this guy.'"

Melifonwu's recruitment isn't out of the ordinary for high school athletes from central Massachusetts, according to Brown, a native of Spencer, just a few towns over from Grafton.

"They're going to be raw athletically," Brown said, "but at the same time there's a lot of good coaches in central Mass that I'm connected to.

"So if I pop in to a specific school and they go, 'You need to check out this guy,' they know I'm going to do it. That's half the battle. The athletes are there; you've just got to be willing."

But that doesn't fully explain how so many schools passed on Melifonwu, who had a lengthy highlight reel of more than 50 career touchdowns at Grafton and unique versatility; he sometimes got in a three-point stance as a safety, and he started out as a quarterback on offense.

"You could see the athletic ability even as an eighth-grader," McMahon said. "It was just one of those things where he flew under the radar for whatever reason."

And, perhaps, that's what has kept his profile so low. Former UConn defensive backs coach Anthony Poindexter recalls being "shocked" by Melifonwu's humility when he first arrived in Storrs in 2012 (Melifonwu redshirted that first year at UConn).

"He wasn't as cocky and confident as a person with that kind of talent and skill set should be," said Poindexter, who moved on to Purdue in January after UConn parted ways with head coach Bob Diaco. "It was almost like he didn't know he was that good. I had to convince him he was going to be great."

Just how great remains to be seen.
 

dbair1967

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La Confora saying Obi may end up in 1st rd as well.

NFL Draft: How Obi Melifonwu has gone from an unknown to a likely first-round pick

by Jason La Canfora

Apr 21, 2017

For the second time in three years a relatively unknown defensive back from the University of Connecticut, of all places, has captured the imagination of general managers, absolutely maximized the combine/pro day/team visit process and is now poised to fare better in the NFL Draft than most anyone would have assumed three months ago.

Obi Melifonwu is arguably the best athlete in the 2017 NFL Draft. His metrics are world class across the board, and the versatile defensive back is less than a week away from cashing in on all of his hard work preparing for the most grueling and lengthy job interview of his life. He's about to accomplish something strikingly similar to what former college teammate Byron Jones, another freakishly athletic safety, achieved just two Aprils ago, when Jones went to the Dallas Cowboys with the 27th overall pick. Melifonwu appears on the cusp of becoming just the third player in the history of the UConn program to be taken in the first round of the NFL Draft.

Melifonwu, 23, is hardly just a workout warrior. He was a four-year starter for the Huskies who can toggle between free safety and strong safety; a tackling machine who loves to play physically and can also hunt for the football in the air. But it's impossible to ignore the ridiculous athletic feats throughout the lead up to the draft that have distanced him from all but the truly elite prospects. From the combine on he has completely wowed the scouting community with his somewhat incomparable combination of size, height, weight, speed, quickness and leaping ability, morphing the high-end speed of a top corner (4.40 in the 40) with the thumping frame of a linebacker (6-feet-4, 224 pounds).

That alone will get you noticed -- big time -- and when coupled with on-field production (albeit in a lesser football conference), a dogged competitiveness, a willingness to be coached and an engaging and winning personality you have the makings of a first-round talent. Teams I've talked to expect him to be the third safety selected in an unusually deep class of them -- behind only Jamal Adams of LSU and Malik Hooker of Ohio State (both football powerhouses). His versatility and promise are too bountiful to ignore, drawing comparisons in some corridors to Seattle Pro Bowl safety Kam Chancellor.

"I've always had that goal [of going in the first round] in mind," Melifonwu told me with his hectic travel schedule of NFL visits finally winding down, "but at the same time I understood that this is a business and a lot of decisions are based on that, and I'm not a GM or a head coach and those decisions aren't in my control. So, I always had the mindset that I can go in the first round, and I have first-round potential and ability, but those are things I can't focus on, because those are things I can't control."

What the safety could control was how hard he worked, how diligent he was with his positional drills and the mechanics and technique involved with the broad jump and vertical jump and 40-yard dash. And much like Jones, who posted a world-record broad jump at the combine to catapult up draft boards, Melifonwu put on an Olympic decathlon-esque performance in Indianapolis in February to boost his stock.

Melifonwu ran what would have been the fifth-best time among all cornerbacks -- think maybe 6 feet, 195 pounds -- but did it carrying 224 pounds on his 6-4 frame. Only Jones posted a better broad jump at the combine dating back to 2003 and Melifonwu's vertical of 44 inches was the best of any combine participant since 2006.

"Going into the combine I was kind of nervous, actually," Melifonwu said, "but having Yo [trainer Yo Murphy] in my corner, I've never had someone that pushed me as hard as he did and believed in me like he did. He really gave me a sense of calmness. He was there for me through the whole thing. If I needed something, he would run and get it. He really did a great job of preparing me for the combine and preparing me while I was at the combine."

Much of the credit for the astounding combine showing obviously goes to Melifonwu, and his dedication to the process, obviously. He believes he gained a specific advantage from some of the advanced technology available him at the APSI Training complex in Tampa, Florida, where Murphy, a former NFL wide receiver and kick returner, worked with him. He trained heavily with Athos, a wearable technology app that measures the body's biosignals during workouts and assesses how to buttress specific muscle groups and areas moving forward.

"I feel like that is what gave me the most edge in training," Melifonwu said.

"Not only did we get probably the best athlete that has walked through our doors this year," Murphy said of Melifonwu, "but we got a guy with the mental game that really helped him and enabled him to hit those [combine] numbers. You can have all of that inside of you, but if you don't really have the trust and really the strength, mentally, to go get it, it just sits inside of you. He, explosively, is ridiculous. But he's got that mental game to go with it. He's a kid that knows who he is. He's comfortable with who he is. When he gets alone, he doesn't fault or fail; he's good with himself. It's kind of a package that we've never seen."

Melifonwu is the kind of uber-motivated kid Murphy actually had to hold back at times. Literally. Even after running his superb 40 at the combine, Murphy would find him at the gym working on starts with the draft prospects who didn't fare well in Indy. Melifonwu wanted to try to improve on his 40 at his pro day -- despite there being no need to do so and it not making much sense to try to.

"He told me I know I can run a 4.3 at my pro day and I was like, man, if you don't get out of there," Murphy said. "I wasn't shocked by how he ran or by his jumps."

That mindset -- a natural zeal to yearn for progress when already at a pinnacle -- has scouts salivating as much as the pure numbers do.

"We love him," one NFL coach said. "We had him in our building and he is a very impressive kid. We think he could play corner for us -- and we told him that -- and if that doesn't work out we know he could play safety. This draft, from like 16-46, is loaded with gifted defensive backs and he stands out."

This is an easy kid to like spending even just a little time around him -- very confident without being cocky, smart, engaging, well-mannered, enthusiastic -- and while he is certainly raw in some regards and has some coverage issues to work on, he believes he has impressed teams with his football intellect as they put him on the board and asked him to diagnose various schemes.

"I feel like I have a great football IQ," he said. "So really there are no issues with that, and I really enjoyed every team that worked with me and put me on the board."

The reality is, this is the emergence of a perfect skill set at the perfect time. The passing game continues to dominate the NFL landscape and the proliferation of fast, hulking tight ends is only continuing. It's no surprise that this draft is deepest at that position -- and probably safety, too -- and this is one safety who has the size and weight to bang with those massive pass catchers and who can run with them as well.

Some clubs believe in a Cover-3 scheme (like Seattle), Melifonwu could even function as a corner in sub packages, and he's embracing the idea of going up against guys like Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham on Sundays.

"That's one aspect I bring to the table in terms of safeties in this draft -- my length and size and seed and coverage ability," he said. "I think that allows me to be a match up versus tight ends, and nowadays the NFL is all about match ups."

Indeed. With that in mind, there is no shortage of potential landing spots for Melifonwu. His strike zone probably starts forming around the Redskins at pick 17 (former Washington general manager Scot McCloughan was high on the safety, for what it's worth) and runs through the Saints with the last pick in the top round. If Adams and Hooker both go in the top 10 picks, it only increases the odds of more safeties being selected on Day 1.

Tampa Bay, Houston, Seattle, Dallas, Green Bay and Pittsburgh could all select a defensive back in between the 17th and 32nd picks, with the Cowboys and Seahawks among the teams doing the most ardent work on safeties and corners.

It's not at all unlike what Jones -- who was viewed as a corner who would play safety at the pro level -- went through two years ago.

"Obi is obviously extremely athletic but. more importantly. he's a high character guy," Jones told me. "I think anyone who meets him can see and feel that. He's the type of ‎person NFL teams want to build around.

"‎The numbers he was able to achieve at the combine were unreal given his size. I've watched him develop into a great safety while he has at UConn. You can see improvement in his play every year if you watch his film. Us UConn guys are excited to see when and where he goes in the NFL Draft."

The former teammates haven't chatted in a few weeks but have remained close through the process and will soon be seeing a lot more of one another in the fall no matter when Melifonwu lands.

"Throughout the combine process I talked to him quite a bit to find out ins and outs," Melifonwu said of Jones. "And the one thing I really got from him is that now it's really a job and you have to be a professional and come in with the mindset of getting better every day and loving the game of football and the sky is the limit. My ability can take me far I just need to put in the wok and keep level headed and stay on the right path."

So far, so good, with that. To say the least.
 

dbair1967

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Ian Rapoport
✔ ‎@RapSheet

5 days pre-draft, #Florida DT prospect Caleb Brantley was charged in a 4/13 incident with misdemeanor assault, knocking a woman's tooth out
 

dbair1967

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DMN's Jon Machota with his mock:

If the Cowboys don't make any trades they'll have seven picks in this week's NFL draft. They'll be looking to land the best players regardless of position, but they'll also be targeting some obvious areas of need.

It's difficult enough trying to predict in a mock draft what they'll do in the first round, but we're taking it seven steps further and projecting their entire draft.

Based off needs and players they have shown interest in during the draft process, here's an educated guess.

FIRST ROUND

Pick 28 - T.J. Watt, DE, Wisconsin
The elite pass rushers are usually gone by 28. Watt is part of the next group. If the Cowboys pass on him to take a defensive back, they might be sick when they see what's left of the position at pick 60. The younger brother of three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt could bring a spark to a pass rush that badly needs it.

SECOND ROUND

Pick 28 (60 overall) - Fabian Moreau, CB, UCLA
After defensive end, cornerback is the Cowboys' next biggest need. Moreau wasn't expected to fall this far but a pectoral injury he suffered during his pro day workout could scare some teams off early in Round 2. He had two interceptions and eight pass breakups last season.

THIRD ROUND

Pick 28 (92) - Xavier Woods, S, La. Tech
Like the previous two picks, Woods was one of the Cowboys' 30 official pre-draft visitors. After losing Barry Church and J.J. Wilcox in free agency, Dallas recently signed veteran Robert Blanton. But the position could still use some help. Woods intercepted 14 passes over the last three seasons.

FOURTH ROUND

Pick 27 (133) - Will Holden, OT, Vanderbilt
Adding another offensive lineman might not seem like a glaring need, but Doug Free's retirement leaves a lot of uncertainty at right tackle. Can Chaz Green stay healthy? If not, can Dallas count on veteran Byron Bell? Drafting Holden gives them some much-needed insurance.

FIFTH ROUND
No pick
Dallas' pick was sent to Buffalo in the 2015 trade for quarterback Matt Cassel. That trade landed the Cowboys pick 228 in this year's draft.

SIXTH ROUND
Pick 28 (211) - Treston Decoud, CB, Oregon State
Another one of Dallas' 30 pre-draft visitors. Many call this the draft's deepest position, so why not take a couple swings? Replacing Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne might not be as easy as some think. Dallas hit on cornerback Anthony Brown in this round last year. This could be a good spot to add some quality depth.

SEVENTH ROUND

Pick 10 (228) - Fred Ross, WR, Mississippi State
Dak Prescott's former teammate and good friend would make a lot sense here if he's still available. Ross was Prescott's favorite target in 2015 as he caught a school-record 88 passes that season for 1,007 yards and five touchdowns. He also has experience as a punt returner.

Pick 28 (246) - Joe Yearby, RB, Miami
Recruiting website Rivals.com ranked Yearby as one of the top 100 high school players in 2014, ahead of running backs like Christian McCaffrey and Samaje Perine. Yearby had a big year in 2015, but his role was reduced under new head coach Mark Richt in 2016. Yearby could be a good replacement for Lance Dunbar.
 

HeavyHitter

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FWIW Broaddus is under the impression that the team has a growing love for Malik McDowell of Michigan St. Talented with a very inconsistent motor. I do find it interesting he was the last of the 30 visits, kind of downplaying their interest.

Talented would be an understatement, if he plays hard every single down he would be an all pro caliber player.
 

dbair1967

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Do not want Obi. Lacks the instincts to be a top notch safety.

He has 8 career picks and half of them came last year. Light bulb seemed to be coming on how to get the ball.

He has tremendous speed, range and reach. Seems to be a really solid tackler. With that height he'd also make some of the throwing lanes really difficult. I think he'd be a good add.
 

dbair1967

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Mayock on pass rushers who might be there for us:


By Jon Machota , Staff Writer Contact Jon Machota on Twitter: @jonmachota

Since there's so much uncertainty in regard to who will be available when the Cowboys draft at No. 28 Thursday night, we're left to speculate.

It seems likely that it will come down to a defensive end or a cornerback.

Pass rusher is the biggest area of need, but there may not be one left the Cowboys feel is worthy of a first-round pick

Combining their list of pre-draft visitors and recent mock drafts, Missouri's Charles Harris, UCLA's Takkarist McKinley and Wisconsin's T.J. Watt are all possibilities.

What if all three are there?

Here's what NFL Network draft expert Mike Mayock would do in that situation.

"I'm not sure two of them are going to be there," Mayock said during a Friday conference call. "Charles Harris, I think, has picked up some steam. I would expect him to be gone before that. But if he was there, I think he'd be a great pick for them, especially from -- in addition to talent, he's got an awful lot of talent, and he gets in that three-point stance and he goes. He's a long guy, plays hard, got a great work ethic. He's really good off the field, high-character guy. If Charles Harris was there, I think he'd make a ton of sense.

"Takk McKinley from UCLA, you can say the same things about how hard he plays, what kind of kid he is. I think the concern is he's coming off shoulder surgery and had a couple concussions. So there are some medical issues around him. I think once you get past that, and most teams have, if he's there at 28, he makes some sense. He doesn't bend as well as Harris. He's a little stiffer, but he's really an explosive, straight-line player.

"And T.J. Watt, it's interesting, because he's only a one-year starter. He was a tight end. He had two knee surgeries in college. Didn't really get on the field as a starter until last year. He showed twitch, toughness, and quickness. He's got some length. The 4-3 teams think he can play 4-3. The 3-4 teams think he can play outside linebacker. Obviously he's got some bloodlines, which are legit. He plays really hard. I've got him in the second round, but if you're sitting there in the first round and you've got to have that position, T.J. Watt can play."
 

theoneandonly

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I think they mean 2nd/3rd. Read he had an awesome pro day workout and our people were there showing a lot interest.

No. Pauline has him mocked as an alternative to Adoree Jackson in the first based on what he is hearing.
 

dbair1967

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No. Pauline has him mocked as an alternative to Adoree Jackson in the first based on what he is hearing.

Pauline also said the Cowboys were going to take the Texas A&M safety at 28.

Basically he doesn't know shit.
 

Bob Sacamano

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Tyus Bowser wouldn't be a bad pick.

Picking at 28 the likelihood that Dallas drafts someone whose name isn't in the ring at this point goes up.
 
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