There hasn’t been a ton of positives to take away from the defense in the first quarter of the year. Cory Littleton is struggling in his first year with the team and they’ve dealt with key injuries to players such as Damon Arnette and Nick Kwiatkowski.
However, the one bright spot on their defense has been cornerback Trayvon Mullen. According to Pro Football Focus, Mullen has allowed the fouth-fewest yards per coverage snap (0.66) and he’s one of the highest-graded press corners this season. He’s quickly turned into one of the best cornerbacks in the league despite only being in Year 2 of his career.
Raiders' Trayvon Mullen has taken a massive step forward this year, especially when given the opportunity to work from press.
Mullen ranks 4th in yards allowed per coverage snap (0.66) and has three PBUs in press through Week 4.
— Austin Gayle (@PFF_AustinGayle) October 6, 2020
According to Pro Football Reference’s advanced stats, Mullen has allowed only nine completions this season for 76 yards. Teams are averaging just 5.4 yards per target against Mullen and several of his allowed completions were well-short of the first down marker.
While he still needs to improve his tackling, Mullen has shown all the tools to be a lockdown cornerback in the NFL. The Raiders need him to be a star for their defense to work and he is well on his way to making the first Pro Bowl of his career. Simply put, Mullen has been outstanding through the first four games of the 2020 season.
[lawrence-newsletter]