Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Trayvon Mullen has a chance to become the franchise’s next great player at the position.
“I know the type of player I am, how good I am”
Mullen spoke these words after wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders taught the corner a lesson in his pro debut.
In the second half of the 2019 season, Mullen’s words came to fruition. Steadily, he started to show flashes of his true potential. From Weeks 9 to 17, the cornerback allowed a 49% completion rate for 319 yards and one touchdown.
Raiders Have a Great Corner in the Making
Raider Nation is excited as a whole, and here’s why:
He plays very aggressively, which is something the Raiders haven’t seen from the cornerback position in a long time. He’s not afraid to stick his head in the dirt. He is physical off the ball, and can jam receivers while also having an impact in the run game.
Trayvon Mullen’s first two plays highlight why #RaiderNation should be excited about him. He is going to stay in phase and completely blanket the Z-fade then follow it up by getting in on a run stop. Nice to have a CB who will play the run physically. pic.twitter.com/7tV3szxcQH
— Chris Reed (@ChrisReed_NFL) October 29, 2019
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Getting to see Abram’s physicality and Mullen paired together is really going to be a treat. Mullen plays with a passion that ignited the Raiders defense the moment he got his first start against Houston. This should continue for years to come.
Mullen also has coverage skills at all three levels. He never allowed a touchdown at Clemson, and was in the wrong end of just two in his rookie year. He has the physicality to lock down shorter routes right off the line of scrimmage, and he’s got the ability to blanket receivers over the top.
My favorite sequence of events from Trayvon Mullen last year:
-Plays the back shoulder throw perfectly, gets called for a BS PI (still mad about it)
-Very next play, they pick on him again and he gets a PBU#Raiders pic.twitter.com/2hTBR2k9vp— Matt Holder (@MHolder95) January 21, 2020
Mullen is very hard to shake down the field, as evidenced in the clip above.
Mullen needs to get a little better at reading and anticipating when and where receivers break off their routes. Nonetheless, he has the athleticism to recover pretty well. With more experience, the game will slow down and he’ll start to anticipate routes better. Once that happens, with his ability to change directions quickly, he will become a true lockdown corner.
Mullen has played in clutch games as well, and he’s made plenty of big plays for the Raiders. This includes a game-sealing interception in the middle of a playoff race.
Turning point play of the game. Trayvon Mullen gets his first career INT when the Raiders needed it most.#RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/jzfFYsCaUg
— Evan Groat (@Egroat5) November 18, 2019
Playing for Clemson meant Mullen constantly partook in big games. There, he notched an interception off the rookie Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Furthermore, he forced a fumble in the 2019 NCAA Championship Game. He doesn’t sweat the big moments, and played exceptionally well down the stretch last year, especially for a rookie.
He’ll bring the intensity of the Raiders old into their new chapter in Las Vegas. His aggressiveness pairs incredibly well with his agility and athleticism, and once he gets more experience under his belt and things begin to slow down, he’ll be a complete player. He doesn’t sweat the big moments either. All of these tools will help make Trayvon Mullen the next great Raiders’ Cornerback.
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Top Photo: Larry Placido/ Getty Images
