Oakland Raiders Preview: Breaking down the 2019 cornerbacks
By Nico Di Fede
3. Trayvon Mullen
In the second round, the Raiders selected BCS National Champion cornerback Trayvon Mullen — somewhat unexpectedly. I recently did a scouting report and game by game breakdown on Mullen if you want to get a more in-depth look, but he is an athletic, long, solid in man corner.
Mullen needs to get stronger as he looks a lot smaller than he is listed, but he plays physical and excels in press man. He tended to struggle in zone coverage but you could see improvements as the season went on.
The Clemson product also didn’t have much production in terms of counting stats with only three interceptions and seven deflections in his college career. He was not targeted much, but that was not necessarily due to him locking guys down which is assumed.
On tape, you can see that his ball skills leave a lot to be desired.
At (3:08), (3:48) and (4:14) in the above video you will see examples of one of his biggest problems — giving up way too much cushion on the underneath. Neither of these plays hurt his team as the receiver he was covering wasn’t targeted, but that’s something you see a lot with his problems on tape — not getting tested despite leaving receivers open.
Of course in some zones, you give up the underneath by design, but only enough to where you can still close in and make the quick tackle for minimal yards. But Mullen is not a very good tackler and could let one of those short catches go for more.
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On the positive side, at (2:49) you will see his nice technique in man-to-man coverage versus a streak route, something he covers very well. At (2:59) you see the potential his ball skills have and the nice awareness he has as he turns his head at the perfect time.
Mullen also tends to struggle versus bigger physical receivers but the aforementioned Conley could take on those receivers if it continues to be a problem. Mullen has the basics down and all of his problems are coachable, so don’t be surprised if Mullen is a starter by midseason.