NFL trade deadline: A’Shawn Robinson and 4 other Lions who could interest Chiefs
By Matt Conner
RASHAAN MELVIN
Why the Chiefs would be interested: Just as Mike Daniels would provide a team like the Chiefs with the chance to grab a discounted product at the same position as A’Shawn Robinson, Melvin would give the Chiefs a secondary target for, well, their secondary without having to break the bank.
Melvin has started every game so far for the Lions and has been an underrated pass defender for the last few seasons as a well-traveled veteran who has been able to step in and provide meaningful reps without enjoying any consistency from year to year. Melvin needed a few years to get warmed up at the NFL level, but he enjoyed a great year for the Colts in 2017 before letting down the Oakland Raiders last year.
This year’s he’s played nearly 100 percent of the snaps in each game thus far for Detroit and served as a solid if uninspiring cornerback on a defense lacking any other options. In a word, Melvin is fine. In today’s NFL, that’s not a bad thing at all.
For the Chiefs, Melvin would be a depth grab of a veteran knowing that he’s used to, by now, coming into a new environment and finding his footing. The Chiefs do have Ward, Bashaud Breeland, Fenton and Mo Claiborne. If Fuller can get healthy fairly soon, then maybe this is a bit of a wash, but there’s a lot of football left to play and the Chiefs ills at cornerback haven’t all gone away. The addition of Melvin would provide security and further competition for a unit that was considered absolutely pitiful just a month or two ago.
Potential Cost: Melvin is a cheap one-year signing and it’d be hard to believe he’d command more than a mid-to-late round pick from the Chiefs. The best bet here is a 6th round pick or a 2020 5th round choice.