Trayvon Mullen feels he is the best cornerback in this year's NFL Draft
CLEMSON -- When it comes to Trayvon Mullen, what you see is what you get.
The former Clemson cornerback doesn’t show much emotion. He carries a usual cool, calm, and quiet demeanor about himself that puts him in the right mindset for his position.
Mullen usually doesn’t say too much. That persona he exemplifies on the football field carries over to the media room. But when Mullen does speak, he speaks volumes.
And it’s his actions that usually are louder than his words. Mullen’s performance on college football’s biggest stage against Alabama in January proved to be the latest example. As the Tigers trounced the Crimson Tide 44-16, Mullen played lights out, earning the honors of Defensive MVP with his six tackles, sack, interception, and a forced fumble.
All eyes were on Mullen in the secondary, and he delivered. Sure, the Tigers won their second national title in three years, but Mullen was also a winner as NFL experts began to murmur that he was a man that’s about to get paid.
After a stellar postseason his junior year, Mullen decided to forego his senior year and enter the NFL Draft. And yes - he’s about to get paid. Mullen said it was in the middle of the season when he knew he was capable of playing at the next level once the 2018 season concluded.
After a year in which he did not allow a touchdown, posted a 4.46 at the NFL Combine, and worked out in front of every represented NFL team at Clemson’s Pro Day, Mullen was ready to speak volumes once more.
Is Trayvon Mullen the best cornerback in this draft?
A simple question brought a simple answer.
“Most definitely,” Mullen said. “I feel like I have separated myself being able to compete well, do drills well, and just be mentally focussed and prepared for the next level.
“I feel like I can be a first-round corner. Maybe the first corner off the boards. Like I said before, my preparation and how I prepare myself and what I did during the times at the Combine and Pro Day.”
The latest NFL Mock Drafts have Mullen going anywhere from the second round to the fourth round. CBS Sports released one last week that has the 6-foot-1 cornerback getting picked No. 67 overall to the San Francisco 49ers.
Mullen is right at the top of the list of cornerback prospects, but his lack of tape may be a reason some people won’t view him as the top cornerback in this class. He didn’t get thrown at or tested much during the 2018 campaign. Mullen didn’t give up a touchdown or allow more than 300 passing yards individually en route to a second-team All-ACC selection.
Mullen doesn’t care about any mock draft or position ranking media pundits like us put out to create conversation.
“That’s one thing I don’t pay attention to,” Mullen said. “Most times it can tear you down. Some people let it get over their heads and let it hype them up, but at the end of the day it comes down to the team and what they like and if you can fit in their organization. Mock drafts are just people giving their opinion and how they feel and where they think you can fit at.”
One group that is all over the place on all the experts’ Mock Drafts is Clemson’s defensive linemen, all of which who are top 50 prospects and could go anywhere in the first two rounds of the draft. When you look at Clemson’s 2018 defense, all eyes initially shift to that front.
But the secondary didn’t quite get the recognition it deserved, according to safety K’Von Wallace. On Draft Day, Mullen won’t be worried about anyone else’s recognition but his own. It is a moment he’s been looking forward to and worked for.
“Those guys got a lot of great attention, which they earned,” Mullen said of his defensive line teammates after Clemson’s Pro Day. “I just did what I was supposed to do and tried to be the best me I can be.”
Who knows where Mullen will land in the coming hours of the NFL Draft? But if Mullen quietly performs the way he did in the 2018 national championship game, he would most likely be a steal for the organization that picks him up.
But the mindset is this: I’m a first-rounder. I should be the first cornerback off the board.
The last question Mullen was asked after his Pro Day workout where we saw him for the last time on Clemson’s campus, he was asked what he wants people to know about him.
The answer was short, quiet, and simple.
“I’m a good person. I’m a good player. I’m a great leader,” Mullen said.
His actions, his play, could eventually speak more volumes than his words ever could once he finally gets selected - whenever that may be.