Ifeatu
Melifonwu
S
#5
Ifeatu Melifonwu
Tampa Bay BuccaneersHeight : 6' 3" · Weight : 210 lbs · Age : 27
NFL record
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | AST | SACK | FF | FR | YDS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | Miami Dolphins | 16 | 53 | 31 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | Detroit Lions | 3 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Detroit Lions | 17 | 33 | 24 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | Detroit Lions | 10 | 14 | 9 | 5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | Detroit Lions | 7 | 15 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Contract
Tampa Bay Buccaneers payroll →- 2026 cap number
- 0.52 M$
- Average per year
- 1.22 M$
- Total value
- 1.2 M$
- Seasons left
- 1 · through 2026
- Status
- Practice squad
2026
0.90 M$
Not guaranteed
Cap number: the season's salary plus the share of the signing bonus spread over the contract. Total value and average per year cover the whole contract, from its signing.
Advanced stats, 2025 Safeties
NFL stats →2025 season. The percentile ranks the player among regular safeties: 90th means better than 90% of them.
Tackles
52
17th percentile
Interceptions
1
43th percentile
Passes defended
1
4th percentile
Targets in coverage
28
Yards allowed
272 yd
Yards allowed per target
9.7 yd
24th percentile
Passer rating allowed
128.0
12th percentile
Missed tackle rate
10.2 %
35th percentile
Tackles for loss
1
23th percentile
Defensive snaps
547
15th percentile
Regular season. Data: nflverse (play-by-play, snap counts), Next Gen Stats, Pro Football Reference. EPA: expected points added. CPOE: completion percentage over expected.
2026 projection
NFL trends →Projected WAR
0.0
Games
11
WAR 2025
-0.1
Games played
16
The pace of the last three seasons (WAR per game, 60/25/15), pulled toward the group average, over the games expected from his availability in the last two, adjusted for age.
Trend
→ Stable (-3)
- 2021-0.1 WAR · -0.014 per game
- 20230.7 WAR · 0.041 per game
- 2025-0.1 WAR · -0.006 per game
The trend compares this season's WAR per game with last season's, weighted by games played.
Outlook, age included
+7 · 26 y.o. · prime years
It is only a projection. It knows nothing about injuries, trades or role changes.
Player ratings, 2025
All ratings →Ratings from 0 to 100, computed over four seasons from data, never by hand, against regulars in the same position group. 75 = established regular, 87 = 90th percentile, 95+ = elite.
OV · Overall
55
Backup or prospect
- COV
- Coverage
- 63
- BAL
- Ball skills
- 74
- TCK
- Tackling
- 69
- DUR
- Durability
- 60
- EX
- Experience
- 58
Why these ratings?Hide details
- COV — Coverage : Yards and passer rating allowed per target
- BAL — Ball skills : Ball carrier: fumbles avoided. Defender: interceptions and passes defended
- TCK — Tackling : Tackles made and missed tackles
- DUR — Durability : Games played out of his team's, over several seasons
- EX — Experience : Seasons in the NFL
WAR and PAL Rating, 2025
How we rate →WAR: the EPA (expected points added) of every play, above replacement level, shared among those who made it, then converted to wins (35.3 points = one win). PAL Rating scores performance from 0 to 100 against regulars in the same group (50 = median).
PAL: dimensions
Where WAR comes from (in wins)
Half the EPA of his sacks, interceptions, passes defended, forced fumbles, tackles for loss and QB hits, against his position's average per snap.
Yards allowed per target against his position's average, 0.12 points per yard (measured).
Replacement level: the share of defense the league spends on his position (by payroll), prorated by snaps.
How much better or worse than average his team's defense was (EPA allowed), minus what is already credited to players, prorated by snaps.
The individual part is splash plays and coverage. The rest is the position share and his team's defense, split by snaps played.
| Season | Team | G | WAR | PAL | OV | Tkl | INT | PD | Yds/tgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | MIA | 16 | -0.1 | 15 | 55 | 52 | 1 | 1 | 9.7 |
| 2023 | DET | 17 | 0.7 | 98 | 84 | 30 | 2 | 8 | 4.9 |
| 2021 | DET | 7 | -0.1 | 24 | 59 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 9.3 |
Ifeatu Melifonwu in five questions
What are Ifeatu Melifonwu's stats in 2025?
Ifeatu Melifonwu has 1 interception and 1 pass defensed in 16 games in 2025.
How old and how tall is Ifeatu Melifonwu?
Ifeatu Melifonwu is 27 years old. He is 6'3" (191 cm) and weighs 209 lb (95 kg).
How good is Ifeatu Melifonwu?
Ifeatu Melifonwu produced -0.1 wins above replacement (WAR) in 2025, 64th of 82 players at his position in the NFL. His PAL rating is 15 out of 100: very poor for his position.
What number does Ifeatu Melifonwu wear, and what team does he play for?
Ifeatu Melifonwu plays for Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL, at S, and wears number 5.
What is Ifeatu Melifonwu's projection for 2026?
Our projection has him at 0.0 WAR in 2026, based on his weighted recent seasons and age.
