Obi Melifonwu NFL draft prospects

There has never been a player born in the United Kingdom who has been picked in the first round of an NFL draft - Manchester's Menelik Watson came closest when he was the 10th pick in the second round in 2013 - but safety Melifonwu has strengthened his case to make history following last week's stunning combine performance.

At an event where prospects' physical traits are measured, nobody jumped higher or further than Melifonwu and he was the quickest at his position over 40 yards.

Such athleticism can be attributed to his six foot four frame, what needs more explanation is how Melifonwu, a child of Nigerian parents born at The Whittington Hospital in North London, first caught the American football bug.

"Living over in London when I was about three I started watching rugby," he revealed to Press Association Sport.

"And when I came over to the States, I still remember to this day that I was kind of interested."

It was when he was three that the family relocated to Massachusetts and Melifonwu developed a liking for another type of oval-balled sport.

His only issue was that his mum Tina did not want her eight-year-old boy playing American football at school.

"I brought her the sign-up sheet and she didn't want to sign it because she thought it was a dangerous sport, too violent; she thought I would get hurt," Melifonwu explained.

"The next year, me being smart, I actually ended up getting two sign-up sheets. She ended up throwing the first one away saying it was too dangerous.

"Then I brought her the second one and she knew I was serious about it and signed it. I've played football ever since."

Having been a four-year starter at the University of Connecticut, Melifonwu is now set to join the band of British-born players in the NFL at next month's draft in Philadelphia, where all 32 teams select players coming out of the American collegiate system.

His rare combination of size and speed will be enticing for teams at the next level as Melifonwu plays an evolving position that is becoming more important in a sport that thrives on physical mismatches.

There is a hint of his English background in the 22-year-old's well-spoken accent and an even bigger indicator in his full name.

"A lot of time when I tell people I'm from London they really don't believe me because I go by 'Obi'," he admitted.

"I have to tell them my name's really 'Henry William', then they understand that's obviously a very British name.

"Everybody in my family has a British name - my older brother's first names are George Michael, my sister's names are Jennifer Pearl, my little brother's names are Christian David then my other little brother's first names are Charles Daniel."

And anyone that doubts Melifonwu's British ties should hear him talking about the cuisine he used to indulge in back in London.

"Oh, man, honestly Weetabix is probably my favourite cereal," he enthused. "But I really can't find it anywhere here. Then there's the tea, the porridge, the biscuits, the fish and chips, and as a little kid I remember eating the little granulated sugar cubes."

Proof that you can take Henry William Obiajulu Melifonwu out of Britain, but you cannot take Britain out of the potential first-round pick.