Collocations for protective - adj.

be, feel
become

fiercely, highly, very
Lionesses are fiercely protective of their young.

overly
an overly protective father

of
He's too jealous and protective of her.

towards/toward
She felt suddenly very protective towards/toward her mother.

Protective is used with these nouns:
arm, armour, barrier, clothing, coating, cover, custody, effect, embrace, equipment, finish, gear, glove, goggles, helmet, instinct, lacquer, layer, mask, measure, mechanism, role, shell, shield, sleeve, suit, tariff, umbrella, varnish, vest