New England Patriots: 3 things to know about Obi Melifonwu

The New England Patriots bolstered their secondary on Monday with the signing of former Oakland Raiders defensive back Obi Melifonwu.

There is another reclamation project putting on the New England Patriots uniform.  On Monday, the team signed former Oakland Raiders defensive back Obi Melifonwu.  While he doesn’t come with any baggage, his is a talented high-round pick who is still trying to find his way on the field consistently NFL.

Joining the Patriots headed by Bill Belichick is the perfect opportunity for him to do that.

Drafted by the Raiders in the second-round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Melifonwu has only played in five games in the NFL due to number of injuries.  While one would think a team would give a player selected that high more time to get on the field, the University of Connecticut product was a casualty of John Gruden’s wholesale in Oakland.

As usual, another’s trash may just turn into treasure for the New England Patriots if Melifonwu stays healthy.  He has the size (6-3, 224 pounds) and talent to help the team in the secondary and provide Belichick and the defensive unit more versatility.  He is also a nice replacement for Eric Rowe who the team lost to IR.

In talking about what Melifonwu brings to the table, Belichick didn’t offer much, but his brief statement about the talented defensive back shows that the coach is putting the weight on the players shoulders to see how things work out.

"“He has a good skill set,” Belichick said on Wednesday.  “He’s smart.  We’ll see how it goes.”"

Patriots fans will certainly be watching to see how the former Uconn star performs in New England.  Here are three things to know about Obi Melifonwu.