Asked about Melvin (6-2, 194) before practice last Thursday, Patricia said the veteran cornerback is a natural fit for his scheme.

"He's a big, long corner. He's a guy that's familiar with the different techniques and fundamentals that we've played through the course of the year," Patricia said. "He's a guy that naturally falls into some of the scheme things that we do and some of the stuff that we do on the field."

It's for that reason the Lions pursued Melvin and signed him in free agency after releasing incumbent starter Nevin Lawson. Melvin is a press-man corner with length and ball skills.

Melvin's played in 51 games (28 starts) and has 174 tackles, four interceptions and 30 pass breakups.

"I'm a long guy," Melvin said, when asked what he thought Patricia meant about him being a natural fit in the scheme. "I like to get my hands on receivers. Anytime you can have that kind of player, it's good for the defense to strip routes."

The Lions do play a lot of man coverage in their scheme and like a certain physicality from their cornerbacks. Melvin's a willing tackler too, something the Lions value from the position.