Clemson Football: Trayvon Mullen primed for breakout season in 2017.
Sophomore corner back and former five-star recruit, Trayvon Mullen looks primed for a breakout season in 2017.
Mullen was one of the most sought after prospects in the 2016 recruiting class, holding offers from over 45 programs across the country. As a freshman, Mullen was buried on the depth chart behind veteran defensive backs such as Cordrea Tankersley, Marcus Edmond and Ryan Carter.
Despite the talent in front of him, Mullen played in 13 of the Tigers 15 games in 2016, totaling 115 snaps played.
With Tankersley departing for the NFL at the end of the 2016 season, the Tigers have a hole to fill at corner. Throughout the spring, Mullen proved he is ready to take that next step and be a full-time starter for Clemson.
See also: 3 Reason’s Clemson will have the nations best defense in 2017.
During Clemson’s 2017 Orange and White game Mullen was an absolute technician, mirroring the wide receivers every move. Mullen showed improved technique when jamming wide receivers at the line of scrimmage and in run support.
Length
At 6-foot-2, 190 lbs, Mullen has unmatched length in Clemson’s secondary. His long wing span will allow him to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage with ease. Mullen will also be able to disrupt opposing wide receivers sight of the ball. Opposing quarterbacks have less room for error when throwing at Mullen because of his wide catch radius.
Speed
For someone with the length that he has, Mullen can flat out fly. Coming out of high school, Mullen reportedly ran the 40-yd dash in a mind numbing 4.37 seconds. This elite speed paired with his size makes Mullen every defensive coordinators dream at corner.
Should he continue to build muscle mass and clean up his technique, Mullen has the potential to be special during the 2017 season. More importantly, the Clemson football program has the potential to have its best defense to date in 2017.
Next: Projecting Clemson's post-spring defensive depth chart