Ifeatu Melifonwu

Ifeatu Melifonwu

26-Year-Old SafetyS
Miami Dolphins
Questionable
Injury Calf
Est. Return 9/18/2025
2025 Fantasy Outlook
Melifonwu inked a one-year, $4 million contract with Miami early in free agency, and with both Jevon Holland and Jordan Poyer having departed the team, he's locked into a starting gig at safety. Though an ankle issue delayed Melifonwu's debut with the Lions in 2024 until Week 16, he regained a starting role in the team's secondary until a hamstring injury forced him to depart the NFC Championship Game. The 2021 third-rounder played all 17 regular-season games in 2023, though, so he has demonstrated an ability to stay healthy for an entire year. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
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IDP
Signed a four-year, $4.79 million contract with the Lions in July of 2021.
Likely out for Week 3
SMiami Dolphins
Calf
September 15, 2025
Head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters Monday that Melifonwu (calf) is unlikely to play in Thursday night's matchup against the Bills, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
ANALYSIS
The first-year Dolphin appears to have picked up a calf injury in Miami's Week 2 loss to the Patriots, though he still managed to record four total tackles across 33 defensive snaps. While McDaniel didn't officially rule Melifonwu out for Week 3, he mentioned the difficulty of dealing with soft-tissue injuries on a short week. Melifonwu's practice participation will likely provide the the best indication of his availability Thursday night, but if he's unable to go, expect Ashtyn Davis to start alongside Minkah Fitzpatrick.
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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
Snap Counts
Snap %
Miami DolphinsDolphins 2025 S Snap Distribution
#% of Team Snaps

125100%
8266%
2419%
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2025 Ifeatu Melifonwu Split Stats
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Measurables Review View College Player Page
How do Ifeatu Melifonwu's measurables compare to other safeties?
This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.
* All metrics are from his Pro Day (not the combine).
Height
6' 2"
 
Weight
210 lbs
 
40-Yard Dash
4.48 sec
 
Shuttle Time
4.36 sec
 
Cone Drill
7.01 sec
 
Vertical Jump
41.5 in
 
Broad Jump
134 in
 
Bench Press
16 reps
 
Hand Length
8.88 in
 
Arm Length
32.25 in
 
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Ifeatu Melifonwu See More
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Ifeatu Melifonwu See More
2021 Fantasy Outlook
Despite the Lions having rising cornerbacks on the roster, it apparently was hard to resist adding Melifonwu when he fell to the third round of the draft this spring. Standing 6-3 with a 4.48 40 time, he has the look of a safety but performs well as a press corner. In Detroit, he'll initially slot in behind Jeff Okudah, Quinton Dunbar and Amani Oruwariye at outside cornerback, but Melifonwu looks like a better prospect than the latter two players, and it shouldn't be more than a year or two before he's starting with Okudah. However, you don't have to look further than Okudah to know that young corners may struggle early on, so expectations for Melifonwu should remain in check during his rookie season.
More Fantasy News
Comes off NFI list
SMiami Dolphins
August 3, 2025
The Dolphins activated Melifonwu (undisclosed) off the active/non-football injury list Sunday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
ANALYSIS
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Lands on NFI list
SMiami Dolphins
Undisclosed
July 22, 2025
The Dolphins placed Melifonwu (undisclosed) on the active/non-football injury list Tuesday, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.
ANALYSIS
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Moving on to Miami
SMiami Dolphins
March 11, 2025
Melifonwu (hamstring) is in line to sign a one-year, $4 million contract with the Dolphins, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
ANALYSIS
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Limited action in 2024
SDetroit Lions
Hamstring
January 30, 2025
Melifonwu (hamstring) played in three regular-season games in 2024 and finished with 10 tackles (eight solo), including 1.0 sacks.
ANALYSIS
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Injured against Commanders
SDetroit Lions
Hamstring
January 18, 2025
Melifonwu suffered a hamstring injury in Saturday's divisional-round matchup against the Commanders and is questionable to return.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Potential bargain for Miami
SMiami Dolphins
March 22, 2025
Daniel Popper of The Athletic believes Melifonwu's contract with the Dolphins could be among the best bargains in the 2025 free-agent class.
ANALYSIS
After losing Jevon Holland in free agency, the cap-strapped Dolphins signed a pair of bargain bin safeties in Melifonwu at $3 million and Ashtyn Davis at $2.5 million. Melifonwu has the higher ceiling of the two and could prove to be one of the most cost-effective signings in the 2025 free-agent class if he can stay healthy. Injuries have limited Melifonwu to 10 or fewer appearances in three of four NFL regular seasons, but he performed well for the Lions when he stayed healthy for all 17 games in 2023.
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