The Raiders addressed a weakness with their top two picks in the draft, taking cornerback Gareon Conley in the first round and safety Obi Melifonwu in the second.
Neither has made an impact, however, on a team that finds itself 3-5 and in another must-win situation going into Sunday night’s game against the Dolphins in Miami.
While Conley appeared in two September games, he’s been sidelined ever since with an injury. Now Melifonwu, who also was hurt, is expected to make his regular-season debut against the Dolphins. He says he's 100 percent healthy and ready to go. His addition could be a boost for a defense that often has had trouble covering opposing tight ends and stopping the run. At 6-foot-3 and 224 pounds, Melifonwu, from the University of Connecticut, has excellent skills.
Starting safety Reggie Nelson expects him to make an immediate impact, even if he’s going to be raw. Nelson says Melifonwu has played well in practices recently as the coaching staff has tried to get him ready for his debut.
“Obi being Obi,” Nelson said of the rookie’s practice sessions, according to Matt Schneidman of the Bay Area News Group. “Good athlete and I wouldn’t expect nothing more. High expectations from me and I’m pretty sure that’s the same from everybody here that’s been seeing the same thing since training camp.”
Defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. didn’t say Thursday how many snaps Melifonwu will get or how he’ll be used, but is eager to see him make a contribution.
“We were really excited about him on draft day,” Norton told reporters. “Really looking forward to seeing him run and use his speed and his size. He matches up well with the tight ends we have to face in this league. It’s just a matter of getting him on the field and playing, then just going from there.”
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The Dolphins have a terrific tight end in former Bronco Julius Thomas, in his first season in Miami after two years in Jacksonville and four in Denver where he had 24 touchdown catches over 2013 and 2014. This season Thomas has 17 catches for 168 yards and no scores.
Melifonwu is eager for his debut.
“It’s definitely been a long time coming, but honestly I’m just focused on what I gotta do to help the team this week, he told Schneidman. “Whatever that may be, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Kickoff for the Raiders’ game against the 4-3 Dolphins is set for 5:30 p.m. Oddsmakers list the Raiders as 3-point favorites.
