2021 Las Vegas Raiders breakout candidate: Trayvon Mullen
By Brad Weiss
Trayvon Mullen has been solid since being selected in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Raiders, but he should become a star in 2021.
Late last season, we discussed how cornerback Trayvon Mullen was becoming a superstar for the Las Vegas Raiders. A tremendous talent and cover guy, Mullen has done a nice job for the team since being selected in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft and is ready to take his game to the next level.
The 2021 Raiders have issues to take care of, especially on the defensive side of the ball, as the group as a whole was downright terrible at times in 2020. They have done a nice job adding to all three levels of the defense, including the secondary, where they used draft capital and free agency on the cornerback group.
Heading into 2021, there are a lot of new faces at cornerback, including veteran Casey Hayward and draft pick Nate Hobbs, but Mullen must be the leader of the group if they are to improve this season.
Raiders need Mullen to be a true CB1 in 2021 and beyond
Hayward was once of the more productive cornerbacks in the league and has familiarity with Gus Bradley, the Raiders’ new defensive coordinator. That could prove huge for this Raiders defense, especially against the pass, as they are a team that has to face Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes twice a season.
For Mullen, he has been one of the constants on this defense the last two years, playing hurt at times, and playing at a high level. He has been well worth the second-round slot he was picked in, and I believe that of anyone on this Raiders defense in 2021, he is the one who is going to break out and become a legitimate star.
Las Vegas was fine on offense this past season, ranking in the top-5, but the defense was one of the three worst in the league. Mullen was one of a few guys who actually played well weekly, and I believe he establishes himself as one of the best in the game at his position group in Year 3.