Raiders waive former second-round pick S Obi Melifonwu

The Raiders waived/injured last year’s second-round pick, safety Obi Melifonwu, as a corresponding move Thursday for signing veteran cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

Melifonwu was the No. 56 overall pick in the 2017 draft out of Connecticut. An athletic player who impressed at the Combine before the draft, Melifonwu played in only five games with one start as a rookie because of knee and hip injuries.

Melifonwu had not practiced since the second week of training camp due to what head coach Jon Gruden termed a “flare-up” of a lower-body injury. Gruden was asked this week about Melifonwu, saying the safety was “still being evaluated.