Tom Brady will need to keep tabs on Rashaan Melvin this weekend.
Melvin has gone from an undrafted practice squad player to an impactful member of the Baltimore Ravens’ secondary in a span of a month. The 25-year-old cornerback now has the attention of the New England Patriots’ Super Bowl-winning quarterback in advance of Saturday’s AFC divisional-round playoff game at Gillette Stadium.
“He’s really settled down that position,” Brady said this week in reference to Melvin, who has brought stability to a position that saw seven different starters due to injuries or ineptitude.
Melvin has played most of the Ravens’ defensive snaps since Asa Jackson went down with a season-ending knee injury in a Week 15 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. He has exceeded expectations, making it hard to believe he had never played in an NFL game to that point.
Melvin, who went undrafted in 2013, originally signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was released a short time later and signed with the Miami Dolphins’ practice squad before eventually landing with the Ravens. He’s now a key cog in a unit that will be tasked with slowing down one of the NFL’s most potent offenses this Saturday.
“I want to make sure that everyone remembers me,” Melvin said this week, according to Ravens.com. “There are a lot of people that don’t know me already. ‘Who is Rashaan Melvin? Who is that guy? Why is he out there? Can he play ball?’ At the end of the day, I’m proving myself right.”
Melvin, a product of Northern Illinois, certainly has a chip on his shoulder. It’s partly because 31 cornerbacks were drafted ahead of him and partly because his family values remain an important ingredient in his daily routine.
“I truly believe that proving myself right motivates me to become great whenever the opportunity comes,” Melvin said. “I was always taught as a kid from my dad, ‘Make sure everyone remembers who you are.’ That’s the reason why I step on the field, it’s so hard for me to come back off. I’m playing to prove myself right. As a person, I take pride in proving myself right.”
Melvin will look to make true believers out of the Patriots this weekend, if they aren’t already.
Thumbnail photo via Kevin Jairaj/USA TODAY Sports Images
