FOXBOROUGH — Obi Melifonwu decided it was his dream to play in the NFL 15 years ago, when he was 9. He became an avid Patriots fan, idolizing those who molded the early dynastic years in Foxborough. Melifonwu, who leaned toward the defensive side of the ball, studied the play of Lawyer Milloy and then Rodney Harrison like a hawk. Less than seven years ago at the age of 17, Melifonwu sat in the library at Grafton High School and became the first player in program history to be accepted by a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) team when he signed with the University of Connecticut. Clocking in 5 pounds shy of 200 as a high school senior, Melifonwu excelled on the gridiron as a running back and defensive back (he rushed for 320 yards in a game), on the track team in the long jump and triple jump, and as a forward on the basketball team. Last Sunday at his current age of 24, Melifonwu attended his first Patriots game. Though he grew up less than hour away from Gillette Stadium, moving to the United States from London at age 3, he’d never witnessed his favorite team play live. After spending his first professional season and the start of this one in Oakland, Melifonwu and the Raiders parted ways on Oct. 23 when the safety was waived off injured reserve. He met with New England three days later, one of a handful of teams that expressed interest in the 2017… [Read full story]
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