Orange Trio Invited to NFL Combine
3/2/2021 4:34:00 PM | Football
Three Syracuse defensive backs were officially invited to the 2021 NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday.
The combine this year is virtual under current COVID-19 health and safety protocols, but the NFL still released a full list of invitees. Defensive backs Andre Cisco, Ifeatu Melifonwu and Trill Williams got the official invite, marking the third-straight season Syracuse had multiple invitees.
Cisco departs Syracuse ranked fourth in program history in career interceptions, despite just playing little more than two seasons in an Orange uniform. He had 13 career interceptions, which made him the FBS active career leader at this season's conclusion. He led the ACC in picks in each of his first two seasons and was the first freshman in program history to earn All-America honors.
Melifonwu is a two-year starter who put up his most productive season to date in 2020. He was an AP Second Team All-ACC selection and was rated along with Garrett Williams as the seventh-best cornerback duo in college football this season by Pro Football Focus. A participant in the Senior Bowl, Melifonwu was sixth in the ACC in passes defended (10) and fifth in pass breakups (9) this season.
Williams was known for his playmaking ability at Syracuse, scoring three touchdowns in three different ways in his Orange career. In 28 games at Syracuse he had 93 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, four interceptions, 10 passes defended and three forced fumbles. He registered touchdowns on a fumble recovery in overtime for a win against Wake Forest in 2019, off a lateral following an interception against Georgia Tech in 2020 and off a blocked punt vs. Wagner in 2018.
The Orange look to have a player drafted for the fourth year in a row and multiple selections in back-to-back seasons if these three are drafted in April. Last season, both Sterling Hofrichter and Alton Robinson were picked after Chris Slayton (2018) and Zaire Franklin (2017) were selected in each of the prior seasons.
The combine this year is virtual under current COVID-19 health and safety protocols, but the NFL still released a full list of invitees. Defensive backs Andre Cisco, Ifeatu Melifonwu and Trill Williams got the official invite, marking the third-straight season Syracuse had multiple invitees.
Cisco departs Syracuse ranked fourth in program history in career interceptions, despite just playing little more than two seasons in an Orange uniform. He had 13 career interceptions, which made him the FBS active career leader at this season's conclusion. He led the ACC in picks in each of his first two seasons and was the first freshman in program history to earn All-America honors.
Melifonwu is a two-year starter who put up his most productive season to date in 2020. He was an AP Second Team All-ACC selection and was rated along with Garrett Williams as the seventh-best cornerback duo in college football this season by Pro Football Focus. A participant in the Senior Bowl, Melifonwu was sixth in the ACC in passes defended (10) and fifth in pass breakups (9) this season.
Williams was known for his playmaking ability at Syracuse, scoring three touchdowns in three different ways in his Orange career. In 28 games at Syracuse he had 93 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, four interceptions, 10 passes defended and three forced fumbles. He registered touchdowns on a fumble recovery in overtime for a win against Wake Forest in 2019, off a lateral following an interception against Georgia Tech in 2020 and off a blocked punt vs. Wagner in 2018.
The Orange look to have a player drafted for the fourth year in a row and multiple selections in back-to-back seasons if these three are drafted in April. Last season, both Sterling Hofrichter and Alton Robinson were picked after Chris Slayton (2018) and Zaire Franklin (2017) were selected in each of the prior seasons.
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