3. Ifeatu Melifonwu, DB (2021 3rd-Round Pick)
To reiterate, we're really having to stretch with this to find guys who would fit the "bust" label in recent years for the Detroit Lions. But maybe this kind of post can serve to show just how nails the Lions have been when it comes to the NFL Draft in the last window (four years) under GM Brad Holmes and the Dan Campbell coaching staff.
Ifeatu Melifonwu has actually proven himself to be a really good player when he's actually been able to be on the field. He's a big, rangy defensive back who can blitz and play around the line of scrimmage.
Over the course of his NFL career, however, Melifonwu has only been able to play in 37 games and was limited to just three games last season. Again, when he's been on the field, Melifonwu has been pretty tremendous. He's probably going to get an interesting one-year contract offer somewhere elsewhere in free agency to prove he can regain his 2023 form on a full-time basis, but the Lions have seemingly moved on.
Detroit has one of the top safety duos in the NFL with Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch, and even with injuries piling up on the defensive side this past year, Melifonwu might see a better fit elsewhere. And for the Lions, it just doesn't appear to be working out.
For a team that is probably going to head into the 2025 offseason scarred from what transpired this past year in terms of the injuries they dealt with, they might just cut their losses here and move on.