Rashaan Melvin

[52520Andrew]

Seems like PFF noticed what a lot of us saw Sunday, I think he deserves a shot at increased playing time which is a given with our current injuries in the secondary and we will see how he does with it granted one decent half is a very small sample size.

 

Rashaan Melvin, CB: +2.4

Breakdown: It continues to be ‘Next Man Up’ in the Baltimore secondary as Melvin saw 24 snaps in his first career game after being signed off the Dolphins’ practice squad a little more than a month ago. He certainly looked like a capable NFL cornerback in limited time as he allowed one catch for 12 yards on four targets.

Signature Play: (Q3 4:58) Melvin nearly came up with his an interception in his first game as he prevented aCecil Shorts catch that would have picked up a first down on 3rd-and-10.

[Maryland]

I liked how he seemed to have good awareness when the ball was in the air. Thats all I ask for at this point.

Amen to that brother. 

 

Chykie Brown could learn a thing or two from watching this kid play half a game of football lol

[cushrinada1986]

Having two 6'2 CB that can press and fight for jump balls would be great for a Ravens passrush that is close to getting Doom to the sack record. I hope this is not just a one off because we were playing a rookie and a horrible team. Going forward, the Ravens will evaluate what the have in him and see if he may be worth an extension to play along side Jimmy.....

[Gtown Purple]

Lets see what he does against AJ and Deandre Hopkins before anointing him.

[757RavensFan]

Here is maybe a positive in all this we could have a secondary with this size starting

 

Melvin ( 6 '2)

Hill ( 6 ' 2)

MIles ( 6  '2)

Cason ( 6 '1)

Webb ( 5 ''10)

 

If nothing else that could allow us more man to man.

 

Get that "midget" outta of here.  j/k

[757RavensFan]

I know that in the age of big receivers height means an awful lot, but despite size, does the size o f the heart tor the chance to make a dream come true or technique mean anything? No dis meant, but as I am older and the game passes coaches by your take on the game really means something to me! Height can't be understated, heart?  Depends on the player or can the Ravens over come this? I ain't right, you ain;t wrong but it's crunch time for our team, Plus you got a strong argument, I just have to believe! No fight, let's talk, we both want the same thing, much respect for making me think, great post, hope others join us!

 

You can have all the heart in the world, but lack of height or physical traits can greatly limit your playmaking ability.  A 5'-10" CB with a ton of heart is gonna have a problem defending a 6'-5" reciever.  In this case, the CB is limited by his height not his heart. 

Edited December 16, 2014 by 757RavensFan

[jazz1988]

He was with the Bucs for 2 years and never played in a game. We sign him and in his first regular season action plays pretty well. I'd just like to know what exactly they are doing down in Tampa.

 

He kept getting hurt when he was with Tampa and they do have new head coach so I can understand how a new regiment of coaches could easily toss him aside and he was undrafted player as well. The same can be said of Danny Gorrer which is why I wasn't surprised to see him get hurt this season.

[BmoreBird22]

Does that mean he was targeted a lot? Is that a good thing? I have no idea how Cornerback stats work lol.

Jimmy Smith hardly had any passes defensed because he was targeted like 13 times in man coverage his senior season

[SeaHawk]

Everyone needs to stop talking about the kid's durability... don't you see that whenever we bring up a DB's injury history or durability, or even talk about the secondary's durability concerns in general, the very next week a DB goes down for the year??

 

But anyways, this kid does have a ton of potential. He was overlooked by many teams, and was given the start based purely on there being a lack of options, but let's not forget one certain legendary QB in New England (love or hate him). Brady, a 6th rounder, was a backup to Bledsoe, and he may have never been given a shot if he had not been forced into the start. Can Melvin be the next legend who came up from out of nowhere?

[busterblue52]

Melvin Island.

[Guest I-70WestRaven]

You can have all the heart in the world, but lack of height or physical traits can greatly limit your playmaking ability.  A 5'-10" CB with a ton of heart is gonna have a problem defending a 6'-5" reciever.  In this case, the CB is limited by his height not his heart.

You are right, but sadly the Ravens are going to find out. Thanks for the reality check! The receivers of which you speak are the ones on the teams we will face in the playoffs! I'll still bet on the Ravens though! I have too! Thanks again!

[PurpleReign92]

With Cason and Melvin we the Raven have a complete team.  If Melvin plays every Sunday like last Sunday. That is  what the Ravens hope for. This guy is the real deal Rashan Melvin" Plays like a Raven,"

[SeaHawk]

People are actually calling him the "real deal" after just one game, against a pathetic team??

[HoldingCall]

I know I'm getting way ahead of myself here but Rashaan Melvin reminds me a lot of Cary Williams with similar build and career beginnings. Cary Williams 6'1, 190. Rashaan Melvin 6'2, 193. Cary Williams, seventh round draft pick. Rashaan Melvin, college free agent.

 

Both began their NFL career on another team's practice squad before making their way onto the Ravens Roster. This would be a huge win if Rashaan finds similar success with the Ravens.

 

One other note: Rashaan was a wr in high school.

Edited December 17, 2014 by HoldingCall

[Marc2k6]

I'm going to wait until after at the least the next game before making him a starter but I did like what I saw so far.

[757RavensFan]

People are actually calling him the "real deal" after just one game, against a pathetic team??

 

Without his effort and play, the Ravens could have lost to that "pathetic team".  IJS.

[ellicottraven]

Give him time to be all that you think he is folks. It's just one game against Bortles. Please ( with the 'uh' added but I hate misspelling)!

[AsianRice]

People are actually calling him the "real deal" after just one game, against a pathetic team??

If you look at the last possession play of the Jags, Melvin actually turned his head and tracked for the ball.  Most CBs don't look for the ball, they look for the WR's hands.....

 

Although it's his first start of NFL, it's shown so much promise and potential.  If he can carry that momentum game by game, he is a real deal.

 

Right now, he is looking good until his next playing time proven it wrong......

[izvoodoo]

If you look at the last possession play of the Jags, Melvin actually turned his head and tracked for the ball.  Most CBs don't look for the ball, they look for the WR's hands.....

 

Although it's his first start of NFL, it's shown so much promise and potential.  If he can carry that momentum game by game, he is a real deal.

 

Right now, he is looking good until his next playing time proven it wrong......

You're actually supposed to play their eyes first.  A lot of times when a corner gets beat he has to make a choice between playing the ball and trying to make the tackle, if you've ever seen a DB fall over trying to play the ball that's basically what happens to them, they turn and lose balance letting the receiver get away.  The key is having tight coverage and not getting beat on the route

[AsianRice]

You're actually supposed to play their eyes first.  A lot of times when a corner gets beat he has to make a choice between playing the ball and trying to make the tackle, if you've ever seen a DB fall over trying to play the ball that's basically what happens to them, they turn and lose balance letting the receiver get away.  The key is having tight coverage and not getting beat on the route

You have to play both to be a good CB; you can't let the other guy 5yd arm push and run pass you, and you can't just play their hands when the ball dropped right in front of you if you ever look back.

 

Cary William or the old Jimmy Smith not letting his WRs beating him much but they always haul the ball cuz Cary or Jimmy don't track for the ball.  The new improved Jimmy never let his WR get behind and he plays for the ball at the same time.

 

Basically, you don't want WR get behind you but at the same time, you don't play their hands when you are neck to neck with him.

 

You're saying not letting WR beat you in the route is just the first phase of being a CB; a little more advance is that you have to be able to track for the ball.  If you know where the ball is going to be, who cares about the opposing WR when he is running the wrong route.

 

To be able to track where the ball is need serious skills and hard work.......

 

Webb is used to be a very good ball tracker until he went down with his second ACL......

 

PS: Additionally, I can't forget Webb intercepted Brady's pass to Elderman in AFCC when Elderman was clearly behind Webb but he jumps up and haul the interception.

Edited December 18, 2014 by AsianRice

[izvoodoo]

You have to play both to be a good CB; you can't let the other guy 5yd arm push and run pass you, and you can't just play their hands when the ball dropped right in front of you if you ever look back.

 

Cary William or the old Jimmy Smith not letting his WRs beating him much but they always haul the ball cuz Cary or Jimmy don't track for the ball.  The new improved Jimmy never let his WR get behind and he plays for the ball at the same time.

 

Basically, you don't want WR get behind you but at the same time, you don't play their hands when you are neck to neck with him.

 

You're saying not letting WR beat you in the route is just the first phase of being a CB; a little more advance is that you have to be able to track for the ball.  If you know where the ball is going to be, who cares about the opposing WR when he is running the wrong route.

 

To be able to track where the ball is need serious skills and hard work.......

 

Webb is used to be a very good ball tracker until he went down with his second ACL......

 

PS: Additionally, I can't forget Webb intercepted Brady's pass to Elderman in AFCC when Elderman was clearly behind Webb but he jumps up and haul the interception.

I wasn't very clear.  So a DB should never play the hands, because a good receiver will never show hands until they're snatching the ball out of the air.  But when a DB turns and plays the ball they should turn and track where the eyes of the receiver are first.  But at the NFL level a good DB should know what route options the receiver has at any time, so they can find the ball regardless, and in that regard you're right. 

[Cillmatic]

Pro-Day Results From 2013 Draft:

4.42-4.46 40-yard dash

7.32 3-cone drill

4.29 20-yard shuttle

38" vertical jump

10'6" broad jump

Notes:

High Football IQ

Nice Read/Reaction Ability

High Awareness/Recognition

Disciplined Defender

Can Turn-and-run with receivers

Stays with their hip

Not Afraid To Be Physical

Not Afraid to go for the pick

Ideal Zone CB

Doesn't Allow A Lot of YAC

Decisive Tackler

Good Angles and Good Closing Speed

Negatives:

Durability May Be A concern

Long Strider, Fast 40 is not indicative of on-field speed

Not very experienced in Press Man

Below Average 3-cone drill shows some stiffness in backpedaling and explosion when backpedaling

Has Dropped Interceptions That Would Have Been Big Plays

Bites On Double Move From Time to Time

Some scouts had a 5th round value on him.

[Inqui]

Pro-Day Results From 2013 Draft:

4.42-4.46 40-yard dash

7.32 3-cone drill

4.29 20-yard shuttle

38" vertical jump

10'6" broad jump

Notes:

High Football IQ

Nice Read/Reaction Ability

High Awareness/Recognition

Disciplined Defender

Can Turn-and-run with receivers

Stays with their hip

Not Afraid To Be Physical

Not Afraid to go for the pick

Ideal Zone CB

Doesn't Allow A Lot of YAC

Decisive Tackler

Good Angles and Good Closing Speed

Negatives:

Durability May Be A concern

Long Strider, Fast 40 is not indicative of on-field speed

Not very experienced in Press Man

Below Average 3-cone drill shows some stiffness in backpedaling and explosion when backpedaling

Has Dropped Interceptions That Would Have Been Big Plays

Bites On Double Move From Time to Time

Some scouts had a 5th round value on him.

Just goes to show how ridiculously deep that draft really was. Sounds like a nice fit for what we do.

[Cillmatic]

Just goes to show how ridiculously deep that draft really was. Sounds like a nice fit for what we do.

He has one of the slowest 3 cone still times I've ever seen though, could Be a major concern.

Edited December 19, 2014 by Cillmatic

[The Raven]

He has one of the slowest 3 cone still times I've ever seen though, could Be a major concern.

 

Considering he's got a 4.4 40 and a 4.2 shuttle (the two exercises that matter most), I'm not that concerned. Also, football is not track, so there's that. He looked fast and quick enough to me. He's clearly athletic enough. I don't need numbers to tell me if a guy can run or not. It's abundantly clear that athleticism is not his problem; his football IQ in the NFL and his durability are the issues.

Edited December 19, 2014 by The Raven

[BSHU_Miami]

Pro-Day Results From 2013 Draft:

4.42-4.46 40-yard dash

7.32 3-cone drill

4.29 20-yard shuttle

38" vertical jump

10'6" broad jump

Notes:

High Football IQ

Nice Read/Reaction Ability

High Awareness/Recognition

Disciplined Defender

Can Turn-and-run with receivers

Stays with their hip

Not Afraid To Be Physical

Not Afraid to go for the pick

Ideal Zone CB

Doesn't Allow A Lot of YAC

Decisive Tackler

Good Angles and Good Closing Speed

Negatives:

Durability May Be A concern

Long Strider, Fast 40 is not indicative of on-field speed

Not very experienced in Press Man

Below Average 3-cone drill shows some stiffness in backpedaling and explosion when backpedaling

Has Dropped Interceptions That Would Have Been Big Plays

Bites On Double Move From Time to Time

Some scouts had a 5th round value on him.

Seems like a good fit...

[Inqui]

Seems like a good fit...

The only reason I'm laughing is so I don't cry.

[allblackraven]

Seems like a good fit...

Man, that's cold...

[Maryland]

Just goes to show how ridiculously deep that draft really was. Sounds like a nice fit for what we do.

The 2013 draft is actually one of the worst drafts in the last decade; you're probably thinking of this last draft (2014).

[Inqui]

The 2013 draft is actually one of the worst drafts in the last decade; you're probably thinking of this last draft (2014).

So you're right. I must be conflating them in my mind whenever I say this year, last year and next year (that's my excuse at least). Good spot.