Raiders Bounce-Back Candidate No. 3: Trayvon Mullen
Over the course of the off-season, the Las Vegas Raiders have done extensive work in building depth in their secondary.
That included bringing in experienced starting cornerbacks Anthony Averett and Rock Ya-Sin.
Even with those new additions, the top cover-man on the Raiders roster might still be an incumbent player coming off an injury-plagued season.
That would be Trayvon Mullen, who played in only five games last season while dealing with a foot injury.
At 6-2 and 200 pounds, Mullen has always had the physical makeup of a prototypical No. 1 level corner.
The problem has been consistency, with the former second-round pick not yet putting together a full season that lives up to his potential.
Mullen was able to hold his own as a rookie, only allowing a 55.9 percent completion rate and a 78.3 quarterback rating when targeted.
Despite breaking up four more passes in 2020, Mullen's sophomore effort wasn't quite as promising.
After grading out around average by Pro Football Focus in 2019, Mullen regressed a fair amount.
His completion percentage and quarterback rating he allowed in coverage rose to 62.1 percent and 93.1, respectively.
Mullen's coverage grade was heading toward improvement early last season, but injuries got in the way of seeing how Mullen would look in Gus Bradley's defense.
Now in new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham's defense, Mullen has the chance for a fresh start, and an opportunity to prove himself.
Since he wasn't a first-round pick, this season will be the last on Mullen's rookie contract.
With a new regime in place, there's no guarantee on who the Raiders decide they want to move forward with from the last few years.
Mullen can make himself a part of that conversation, but he will need to be able to take the next step and become the cornerback his potential says he could be.
With Averett and Ya-Sin now in tow, the Raiders aren't short of options if they feel Mullen isn't up to the task.
Mullen will need to treat this like what it is, an audition not only for the Raiders but also for the rest of the league to see what he can do.
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