Las Vegas Raiders: Trayvon Mullen enters crucial fourth NFL season
By Brad Weiss
The Las Vegas Raiders will hit the reset button at cornerback again in 2022, and veteran Trayvon Mullen is entering a crucial fourth season.
Back in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Raiders selected Clemson cornerback Trayvon Mullen in the second round, and he was given a chance to start right away. Mullen showed during his rookie season that the NFL game was not too big for him, and it looked like he would be the CB1 this franchise has been lacking for some time.
However, the 2020 season was an up-and-down one for him, though he started 16 games, and showed enough to be named a starter in 2021 as well. However, he was bit by the injury bug last season, and appeared in only five games, making this a crucial offseason, and fourth NFL season for him in 2022.
The Raiders desperately need him to be an answer at one of the outside cornerback spots, as Nate Hobbs proved as a rookie that he can be an elite slot guy. With Casey Hayward possibly leaving via free agency, Mullen is going to have to lead this group next season, proving that he is a part of the long-term plan in Las Vegas.
Raiders to hit the reset button at cornerback again?
With Hayward possibly leaving due to him coming in at the recommendation of former defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, and Damon Arnette, a 2020 first-round pick, already gone, Mullen returns to a position group that is a bit barren. Brandon Facyson is under contract, as are the likes of Keisean Nixon and Amik Robertson, but the Silver and Black cannot go into the 2022 season with a significant upgrade from those players.
For Mullen to come in and be a true CB1 would take a lot of pressure off of the organization to find two new starters on the outside, and I believe he has the talent to do so. He has played hurt, showed elite cover skills, and soft hands at times, and at only 24 years old, has a lot of football left in him.
With all that has gone on with this position group, Mullen coming in and putting together his best season as a pro is paramount in 2022. He is entering a season that is going to earn him his next contract, and it will be up to him to make it a lucrative one or not.