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There was a refreshing sight at Detroit Lions minicamp last week. Safety Ifeatu Melifonwu was on the field for all three days, often getting first-team reps while vets Tracy Walker, Kerby Joseph and C.J. Gardner-Johnson sat out for various reasons.
It didn’t always go well for Melifonwu, wearing No. 6 as he enters his third season. But the mere fact that he’s out there getting reps and showing what he can do is important. It’s not something the Lions have seen nearly enough of in his first two years. It’s something Melifonwu is acutely aware of.
Thus far in his career, having Melifonwu on the field has rarely been the best option. Between the numerous injuries and the inability to master any one position, it’s been hard for Melifonwu to show he belongs.
“I mean, it’s a little frustrating,” Melifonwu said during Lions minicamp. “No one wants to be injured. And get the position change. But ultimately, I got to look at it bigger picture. It’s what’s best for the team.”
The ability to stay on the field and get reps, even in the non-contact minicamp, is huge for Melifownu. Head coach Dan Campbell is seeing the growth and happy with the progress.
“Yeah, I would say you see growth,” Campbell said before Thursday’s practice about Melifonwu. “To your point, he’s relatively new to the position and you’re right, the injuries hurt him, not being able to get the reps, the repetitions, added time on task. So, this is one of the few times that we’ve had him for a significant amount of time, consistently, consecutively, and so that in itself is paying dividends right now.
So we see growth, he is. He’s coming along. And look here’s the thing, Iffy’s a pretty smart player, he really is, like he gets it. He just needs time. He needs time on task, he needs reps, like a lot of young guys do.”
Melifonwu has floated between outside cornerback and strong safety in his Lions tenure. The switch to safety, which came a year ago, seems to be his best chance to stick on the roster. Keeping the play in front of him is something the third-round pick in 2021 has struggled with, but aligning as the deeper safety appears to be working. There are growing pains, some of which were exposed during Wednesday’s practice in particular. The mere fact that Melifonwu can get the reps and work through those is a positive sign.