Obi Melifonwu: S · UConn · #20.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Obi Melifonwu
Hits like a linebacker and still takes the ball away. Second year in the same secondary at UConn. On tape: 24 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss against Tulane, Week 13, 2016.
Play style
Hits like a linebacker and still takes the ball away.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
118 tackles. 3 passes defended. 4 interceptions. 2.5 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
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Game log · Week-by-week
2016 season · 12 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 24-21vs Maine | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 24-28@ Navy | 10 | 9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 13-10vs Virginia | 11 | 8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 4 | L 24-31vs Syracuse | 11 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 5 | L 14-42@ No. 6 Houston | 11 | 5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 20-9vs Cincinnati | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 27-42@ South Florida | 7 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 16-24vs UCF | 7 | 5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 3-41@ East Carolina | 10 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 10 | L 0-21vs Temple | 9 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | L 0-30@ Boston College | 11 | 10 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | L 13-38vs Tulane | 24 | 11 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 24 tackles |
| Total | 118 | 73 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 4 | 3 |
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
3%3 pass breakupsInterceptions
4interceptionsTackle volume
118tackles this seasonTFL rate
2%2 TFL118 tackles · 2.5 for loss · 3 pass breakups · 4 interceptions.
2 seasons under Bob Diaco — 9-16 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2016 season · 12 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home7g | 9.9 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| Road5g | 9.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 8.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| Weeks 8+5g | 12.2 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Bob Diaco
Pass share
47.8%
380 pass / 415 run
Plays / game
66.2
12 games
Team sack rate
9.0%
431 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2016
118 tackles in 12 games, more tackles a game than nearly every FBS defensive back who plays every week.
How it ended
Two seasons at UConn, 118 tackles — drafted at #56 overall by the Oakland Raiders.
Coaching lineage · 2012–2016
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Paul Pasqualoni → Bob Diaco. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Next stop · NFL
Oakland RaidersEntering 10th NFL season
Oakland RaidersEntering 10th NFL season
