Obi Melifonwu visits with the Bucs

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a private meeting with University of Connecticut safety Obi Melifonwu, reports Jenna Laine of ESPN. The safety had a pro day yesterday, and the Bucs are apparently interested enough to have defensive backs coach Brett Maxie visit with him privately.

Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean all that much. The Bucs didn’t send one of their executives, and visits themselves are ambiguous. They suggest there’s some level of interest, but also that there are question marks the Bucs would want answered — or at least that they want to get a feel for the player.

Melifonwu is generally seen as one of the top safeties in this class, and could be a good fit at the end of the first or somewhere in the second round. He’s massive for a safety, at 6’4” 224 lbs., and ran a nice 4.40-second 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine. There are no questions about his athleticism or physical talent.

However, Melifonwu may be best near the line of scrimmage, which doesn’t necessarily fit what the Bucs need right now. While he has the speed to work on the back-end, he didn’t display the transition or quick diagnosis in college that would make him stand out in the NFL, according to Lance Zierlein. There’s a chance he picks that up with extra work, of course — and perhaps the Bucs are meeting with him in an attempt to answer that question.