In 2017, Indianapolis Colts cornerback Rashaan Melvin had the best season of his four-year NFL career.
The 6-foot-2, 193-pounder from Northern Illinois, who’d bounced around from the Bucs to the Dolphins, Ravens, Patriots and Dolphins (again) since 2013, finally found a chance to play in 2016 and 2017 with the Colts. In 2017, he started 10 games before a hand injury ended his season, and he intercepted three passes, had 13 passes defensed and was in on 36 tackles. Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star recently called Melvin the Colts’ No. 1 cornerback and referred to 2017 as his “career year.”
But the Colts let Melvin leave in free agency, and Melvin is now an Oakland Raider, ticketed to play one corner opposite second-year man Gareon Conley. Cornerback was a big position of need for the Raiders, so his addition – and Conley’s return to health – could prove to be a huge boost for the Oakland defense in 2018.
But what kind of player will Melvin prove to be for the Raiders?
For one thing, Melvin, at 6-foot-2 and 193 pounds, is a big, strong defender whose forte is physical man-on-man coverage – something the Colts plan to get away from this coming season, with more zone coverage, which is one of the reasons they didn't keep him.
Though Melvin never became a starter before he landed in Indianapolis, once he got the opportunity to play there, he showed fast growth. Recently, the analytic website Pro Football Focus graded Melvin at No. 30 overall of this free-agent class, and the fifth-best cornerback.
Wrote PFF: “A breakout star in 2017, Melvin allowed just 29 receptions on 55 targets and just 94 yards after the catch. All told, his 60.3 passer rating on throws into his coverage was the 10th lowest among all the league’s cornerbacks.”
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But as well as Melvin played last season, it would be easy for Raiders fans to have doubts about how good he’ll be in silver and black. The reason? Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie doesn’t have a good track record when it comes to drafting or signing cornerbacks.
Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com wrote about that recently, listing all the corners who have come and gone while playing below expectations: Ron Bartell, Shawntae Spencer, DJ Hayden, Mike Jenkins, Tracy Porter, Tarell Brown, Brandian Ross, Carlos Rogers, David Amerson and Sean Smith. Conley, too, was the team's No. 1 pick in 2017 but was injured and still must prove himself in his second season.
Asked Gutierrez: “Is Melvin the antidote to what ails McKenzie’s eye for a solid cornerback with staying power?”
