'It’s truly been a blessing': Former Grafton star Ifeatu Melifonwu raises his game for Lions entering NFC Championship
When Ifeatu “Iffy” Melifonwu broke a bone in his hand during a pass-rush drill the week before the Detroit Lions’ mid-November game against the Chicago Bears, he had a fleeting oh-no-not-again moment.
Quadriceps and ankle injuries limited Melifonwu, the former Grafton High and Syracuse University star, to 17 games his first two NFL seasons, and, now, in Year 3, the cornerback-turned-safety, had played in every game so far in 2023 and was beginning to hit his stride.
“I was kind of upset when (the broken hand) first happened,” Melifonwu said in a phone interview from Detroit earlier this week, “because I thought I might have to miss at least one game.”
Thankfully, Melifonwu did not need surgery, and the Lions’ medical staff told him he could play with a cast as long as he could tolerate the pain.
“I was so happy when they told me I could play through it,” Melifonwu said. “It hurt, but I was able to play.”
For about three weeks, Melifonwu wore a large, club-like cast on his hand, and a smaller one for two weeks after that. After its removal, he kept the big cast and has it at his house, kind of as a point of pride.
“It was my first time breaking a bone,” Melifonwu said, “and the fact I was able to still play with it, that’s the reason I kept it.”
The 24-year-old Melifonwu began the season as a backup, but since entering the starting lineup in Week 14, he has been a force on Detroit’s defense, and he has helped the Lions to their first NFC Championship Game appearance since 1991.
The Lions, seeking their first Super Bowl berth, play at San Francisco at 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
“It’s just an unreal feeling to be here,” Melifonwu said, “but at the same time, it’s what we kind of envisioned at the start of this season. It’s a blessing to be here and be part of this game. San Francisco is a good opponent on both sides of the ball, and it’s a good challenge. We’re up for it.”
In 2021, the Lions drafted the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Melifonwu out of Syracuse, where he was a shutdown corner and All-ACC performer.
Melifonwu made his first NFL start in Week 2 his rookie season, but suffered a strained quadriceps muscle in that game and missed significant time. Last year, after the Lions switched him from corner to safety, an ankle injury limited Melifonwu to 10 games.
“That was definitely tough,” said Melifonwu, a former T&G Hometeam Defensive Player of the Year. “At the time of the injuries, I felt like I had an opportunity to play. I just kept faith in God, and my family and friends kept faith in me, and I just stayed the course, and I was able to get my opportunity.”
Before the Lions’ Dec. 10 game, a second matchup with NFC North Division foe Chicago, Melifonwu received a text from Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.
“It said something to the effect of, ‘It’s your time. I trust you,’ ” Melifonwu said. “We had talked the week before about some other football-related things and about how my progression was going, and it felt like (becoming a starter) was in the works. They kept telling me, ‘Stay ready. Stay ready.’ To get that text meant a lot.
“You would think it was a weight off my shoulders,” Melifonwu said, “but it was honestly a lot of weight on my shoulders. It meant I had the full trust of the defensive coordinator. That first game (starting), I felt like I had a lot of pressure on me, but after that, it was good.”
Melifonwu made four tackles that first start, and broke out the next week with 9 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and 2 passes defensed in a win over the Denver Broncos.
The best was yet to come.
In Detroit’s Christmas Eve game against the Minnesota Vikings, Melifonwu became the first defensive back in Lions history to have at least two sacks and an interception in the same game. His pick, at the 5-yard line with 49 seconds left, clinched a 30-24 victory and Detroit’s first division title in more than three decades.
Melifonwu was the NFC Defensive Player of the Week.
“It’s truly been a blessing,” Melifonwu said. “I got the opportunity to do that, and I just capitalized on it. It’s just been great each week getting more time out there and building confidence and being able to improve each week. Honestly, it’s just been a blessing.”
In last week’s NFC Divisional playoff game, Melifonwu’s first-quarter, 8-yard blitzing sack of Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield helped set the tone for the Lions in their 31-23 win.
“We called that play, and I knew I was coming off the edge,” Melifonwu said. “That gave us a huge amount of momentum. The very next play (safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson) made an interception, and I feel like that was a huge swing in momentum and helped us throughout the game.”
Melifonwu finished with nine tackles and 1½ sacks.
Among those in attendance at Ford Field last Sunday was Melifonwu’s older brother, Obi, who also starred at Grafton High and played in the NFL. Obi was a second-round draft selection of the Raiders in 2017 out of the University of Connecticut, and spent two seasons with the New England Patriots. Obi is a free agent, and, Iffy said, training with hopes of an opportunity in the United Football League this spring.
The Melifonwus’ mom, as well as Obi, now live in Houston. Their other siblings live in Massachusetts. Iffy Melifonwu still has a connection to Grafton through his high school coach, Chris McMahon, whom he speaks with occasionally. Melifonwu was a two-way star at Grafton and led his team to the Division 3 state final as a senior.
In Detroit, Melifonwu is a teammate of Kalif Raymond (“a good dude,” Melifonwu said), the former Holy Cross receiver/return specialist. Raymond missed the Lions’ first two playoff games with a knee injury.
—Contact Jennifer Toland at jennifer.toland@telegram.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @JenTolandTG.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Former Grafton star Ifeatu Melifonwu raises game entering NFC Championship
