Obi Melifonwu fell out of favor with Jack Del Rio’s coaching staff in 2017 and at the very least he has yet to make a good impression on this year’s coaching staff.
Jon Gruden sent a clear message to Melifonwu through the media last week and The Athletic’s Vic Tafur believes Obi Melifonwu may be on the early roster bubble.
This was Tafur on Melifonwu’s uncertain status:
“I have been hinting for a while that Melifonwu is on the roster bubble, and Gruden drove the point home Tuesday. He drove over Melifonwu once, and then when reporters asks for clarification, he backed up and hit the second-year player again.
There is a real question if Melifonwu loves football, and last year’s staff soured on him so quickly he went from tight-end stopper to cornerback against Tom Brady in Mexico. It’s not clear what he does well on the field yet, and he has two months between now and training camp to start showing Gruden and defensive coordinator Paul Guenther that he merits a role, and what that role might be. Or the train could quickly leave the station without him.”
Whatever is it that’s been holding back Melifonwu, Gruden and company don’t seem to be interested the injured hip idea.
Once he does reach full strength, the next step for Melifonwu will be to prove he was a good pick in the first place.
twitter: @raidersbeat
No excuses!! This is a new era! Produce or go home! Go Raiders!!!
What makes it worst is part of the reason we passed on Derwin James was because we selected Obi last year. I know we still might have chosen Kolton anyway but this still stings
I wanted Derwin badly too. Even at 10. But it is what it is and hopefully Kolton and Obi both become good players. I wish we would pick up Eric Reid.
i told everyone we needed to draft derwin james and 80 percent of you bitched now your all gonna see why
Show something or adios Obi. You can start by getting your butt on the field with the rest of the players trying to make the team
you dont cut 2nd rd picks you trade them
This really pisses me off. There were so many good talents in last year’s draft. I remember wanting us to take Vinny Curry or Derek Henry with that pick. Reggie has killed me with these recent drafts. Hope he proves me wrong this year.
We wouldn’t even get a conditional 7th rd pick
This really pisses me off. There were so many good talents in last year’s draft. I remember wanting us to take Vinny Curry or Derek Henry with that pick. Reggie has killed me with these recent drafts. Hope he proves me wrong this year.
Boy, Raider fans are impatient. Just takes one writer with no connections with the team, having the same access that I and you who may read this comment have. I guess Mr. Alcaraz did not pick up or notice that Gruden was sending a message thru the media to raise the level of urgency to be available for the team. That’s all folks!
I believe that not drafting Derwin James will come back to haunt Gruden and the Raiders . The Chargers had to have been leaping with joy that the Raiders passed him up; especially being a division rival. Reminds me of when the Jags passed on Mack. Hopefully Miller can be the stud LT of the future they are hoping for.
As much as I like Obi, I say trade him for a draft pick, or release/trade Reggie Nelson and pick up Eric Reid. If the Raiders can get Reid they may want to keep Obi and have him groom under Reid as they are both young, athletic and can do similar things. Obi is still under rookie contract so signing Reid to a 1-2year cap friendly show me deal, both contracts may still be cheaper then Reggie Nelson’s contract. Just saying!!
This clown gonna BUST….another one RM😡😡😡
Well, surprise, surprise. Reggie McKenzie, the man touted as “having an eye for talent” has another of his draft picks not panning out. Lawdy, Miss Claudy. I won’t number how many times I’ve said that the only thing that Big Mac is good for is eating Big Macs, so I’ll get directly to the point. The Raiders “problems” start with their General Manager. Reggie’s “credentials” were suspect from day one. While the Raiders can’t change the past, they certainly can do something about the future. First, and foremost, let Reggie and his brother go the way of Jack Del Rio, that is, somewhere else. It goes without saying that if the General Manager fails, wiit his personnel decisions, then so does the team. Point in fact. Substantial girth and an over hyped resume’ do not a General Manager make. This guys resume’ was more overblown than a hot air balloon. You can’t get whiskey from a bottle of wine. I lobbied all the Bay Area sports writers to talk to Mark Davis about hiring Tom Coughlin but Mark Davis chose to double down on Reggie McKenzie a contract extension. Maybe Las Vegas can teach Mark Davis about the old adage that you don’t throw good money after bad. Or, what Kenny Rogers said; You’ve got to know when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em.
I feel it’s too early to judge Obi at this time. It’s only one injury-filled season under the direction of defense coaches including Ken Norton Jr. and Rod Woodson. Let’s see how he develops this season under the new coaching staff.