Cornerback Rashaan Melvin grieves his father's death as he gets healthy

One of the late season players for the Ravens to show up and become a fan favorite, Rashaan Melvin had his season derailed by a shoulder injury that required offseason surgery. His bad luck continued as his father , James Melvin, died in February following a long battle with prostate cancer according to Aaron Wilson.

I'm doing pretty good, my family is strong. We're positive. We believe in God. We just take it as it comes. We're strong-faith people.

Back in January before the Ravens' playoff game, James Melvin told the Baltimore Sun that he was extremely proud of his son.

Rashaan has earned everything he's gotten. Now the Ravens have given him an opportunity, and he's proving himself again. He's a wonderful young man. He's been very disciplined. He's come a long way. We're very proud of him.

Melvin came on strong for the Ravens after Baltimore faced so many of it's players in the secondary going to IR with various injuries. Melvin made his first start for the Ravens in week 15 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he recorded 5 tackles and a pass deflection. Against Houston in week 16, Melvin elevated his play with 8 tackles and a forced fumble. However, Melvin would falter slightly against higher competition with the New England Patriots, allowing 12 catches on 15 attempts his way, giving up 224 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Originally going undrafted in 2013, he was picked up by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before finding his way onto the Miami Dolphins' practice squad. Baltimore signed Melvin off of the Dolphins' practice squad due to the injuries in the secondary, making him an immediate starter despite his status.

At 6-foot-2 and 193-pounds, Melvin is certainly big enough to play the part of a tough cornerback. Running a 4.42 40-yard dash time at his Pro Day with Norther illinois, Melvin has all the tangible physical traits you would want out of a starting cornerback. However, as Bleeding Green Nation showed with their scouting report on him back in 2013, Melvin needs to get some of the mental part of the game down along with more practice at his technique. He should get a chance to do that this offseason as a member of the Ravens from the start, looking to make an impact in nickel and dime packages.