The first couple years of Johnathan Abram's career have not been ideal. That's putting it lightly. The star of HBO's Hard Knocks in his rookie camp brought high expectations. Those hopes ended a few snaps into his first start when he was lost for the season with a shoulder injury. His return for his 'redshirt rookie season' in 2020 took a huge hit before it even started. The pandemic meant no offseason practices and a weird training camp that appeared to have most of the team out of sorts. The defense especially. All too often Abram seemed to be trying too...<doc-sep>Getty Images The Raiders ended up with three players in the first round Thursday, drafting Clemson defensive end Clelin Ferrell, Alabama running back Josh Jacobs and Mississippi State safety Johnathan Abram. They didn’t sit still Friday. Oakland traded the 35th overall pick, as well as No. 109, to the Jaguars. The Raiders received No. 38, 140 (fifth round) and 235 (seventh round) in return. The Jaguars used the choice on Florida offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor. Jacksonville selected Kentucky pass rusher Josh Allen in the first round<doc-sep>SANTA CLARA, CA - JANUARY 07: Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers celebrates the interception by Trayvon Mullen #1 against the Alabama Crimson Tidein the CFP National Championship presented by AT&T at Levi's Stadium on January 7, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) Oakland Raiders: Mike Mayock did serious work at 2019 CFP title game by Brad Weiss The Oakland Raiders added another defensive back on Day 2, selecting Clemson cornerback Trayvon Mullen with the No. 40 overall selection. The Oakland Raiders went back to work on Friday night, only 24 hours after selecting three players in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Originally holding the No. 35 overall pick in Round 2, the Raiders made two trades before finally settling in on the No. 40 overall selection. With that pick, the Raiders reunited Clelin Ferrell, their No. 4 overall pick on Thursday night, with his teammate, selecting Trayvon Mullen from Clemson. Mullen, who felt he was the best cornerback in this draft class, is the first cousin of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, and will be a solid addition to this Raiders secondary. The Defensive MVP of the College Football Playoff national title game, Mullen is an incredibly talented cover corner, who is not afraid to come up and make big plays. While some bigger named cornerbacks were still on the board, it appears Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden are going after their guys, and Mullen is going to be an excellent addition for the Silver and Black. Here is how Raiders and national Twitter reacted on Friday night. Clelin's old teammate is joining him. With the 40th pick, we have selected CB Trayvon Mullen from @ClemsonFB.#RaiderNation @MullenIsland1 pic.twitter.com/ejS5DxHtl2 — Oakland Raiders (@Raiders) April 26, 2019 Big Moe liked the pick #Raiders take Trayvon Mullen. Another Clemson product (at 40). Gareon Conley + Trayvon Mullen will look good in the secondary. — Maurice Moton (@MoeMoton) April 26, 2019 The MVP stats New Raiders CB Trayvon Mullen was named defensive MVP of the national championship game after tallying an interception, forced fumble, sack and six tackles against Alabama. — Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) April 27, 2019 Bleacher Report with some highlights Silver & Black goes defense in round two Clemson CB Trayvon Mullen is a Raider ☠️ pic.twitter.com/00J7CLmcdh — Bleacher Report NFL (@BR_NFL) April 26, 2019 The newest Raider is buddies with our prized free agent pick up Trayvon Mullen told me Wednesday @nflnetwork he speaks to @AB84 every day since getting to know him on a visit to the Raiders. — Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) April 26, 2019 Mullen was overwhelmed with being chosen by the Silver and Black Trayvon Mullen's reaction after getting picked in the second round by the Raiders. Former U.S. Army All-American at Coconut Creek who played three years at Clemson. https://t.co/umChrDEkHT — David Furones (@DavidFurones_) April 27, 2019 Mullen is the second defensive back chosen by the Raiders in the 2019 NFL Draft, and the third guy who played in the national title game. Mayock was on the sidelines that night, and he apparently took some incredible notes. That is the only selection the Raiders currently hold on Day 2, and it is going to be very hard for them to trade back into either the second, or third round on Friday night. They have much better draft position for Day 3, where gems can be found, and there are certainly more holes to fill.<doc-sep>Michael Zagaris/Getty Images The Oakland Raiders selected Clemson cornerback Trayvon Mullen with the 40th overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft Friday. Bleacher Report's Matt Miller ranked Mullen 29th overall and third among cornerbacks on his big board. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, who gave Mullen a second-round grade, offered the following scouting report: "Long press-corner who can clog up the release but is more reactive than instinctive in coverage. Mullen can be a little inconsistent in anticipating route breaks, which can open small throwing windows, but his loose hips and response burst helps him latch back onto tight coverage. If Mullen can improve pattern recognition and reading the quarterback, the ball production should follow. He has Day 2 draft talent as an outside corner and could compete for a CB2 spot within a couple of years." 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Shaquem Griffin Starting for Seahawks in Week 1 Right Arrow Icon The 6'1", 199-pound Mullen shined on college football's biggest stage last season, amassing six tackles, one sack and one interception in Clemson's 44-16 win over Alabama in the College Football Playoff National Championship. Mullen had 36 tackles, two sacks and one pick on the year. The Clemson corner was one of six players taken at his position between picks No. 30 and No. 45. That group did not include LSU defensive back Greedy Williams, a highly touted prospect who ranked No. 21 on Arif Hasan of The Athletic's Consensus Big Board and No. 1 overall at his position. At one point, Williams was a popular connection to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 5 overall. Many analysts wondered why Williams hadn't come off the board: The waiting ended when Williams went No. 46 overall to the Cleveland Browns. Regardless of the reasoning for Williams' drop, the Raiders got a solid corner in Mullen, who should help boost a pass defense that finished last in net yards allowed per pass attempt, according to Pro Football Reference.<doc-sep>
After trading the 35th overall pick to the Jaguars, the Raiders traded again with the Bills for the 40th and 158th overall picks. Finally at pick 40, Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock kicked off their second day selecting Clemson CB Trayvon Mullen . How does the staff at Silver & Black Pride view the pick? Tyler Green Mike Mayock attended the National Championship game between Clemson and Alabama and so far, three of his four picks played in that game, with Mullen being selected the defensive MVP. He has great size at 6’1”, and also runs a 4.4 40-yard dash so he fits nicely into the bigger mold of cornerbacks that defensive coordinator Paul Guenther prizes. Mullen doesn’t have many holes in his game, and he wasn’t targeted often at Clemson because his receiver was usually covered. This pick is a great value considering the Raiders were able to trade back twice and pick up high fourth and fifth round picks Grade: A BD Williams Mullen is a cerebral player who like the other draft picks so far shows great physicality both in press coverage and as a tackler. He made his share of outstanding plays in the college football playoff both in coverage and as a blitzer. He has great length and athleticism for the position. There are a couple technique issues on tape he’ll need to work on to become a full time starter opposite Conley but his play on the ball and awareness are very god. That being said, there are a lot of really good players still left on the board. Mullen could have a hard time living up to his draft stock when it’s all said and done. Grade: B- Marcus Krause The performance that Trayvon Mullen put in for the Clemson Tigers in their Championship victory against Alabama makes me extremely excited for this pick. Not everyone is in love with what Mullen brings to the field because of never really meeting the full potential of his athletic abilities, but there is a ton to work with for the Raiders. The guy is an absolute beast of an athlete who is plenty tall enough at 6’1 with great leaping ability. He is a guy that could turn out to be a steal if they can bring the best out of him, but that also means the dreaded word of “potential”. Either way, I like the pick as a need filler and high ceiling player. Grade: B Levi Damien Wow, that National Championship game had a pretty big impact on the Raiders brass. Three of their first four picks played in that game, two from the National Champion Clemson Tigers. I’m not crazy about this pick. Primarily because I don’t see cornerback as a major need. I don’t hate it, because Mullen has a lot of strong qualities including having great size (6-1) and allowing a career passer rating of just 51.1. Though he also didn’t have an interception last season, he had a huge one in the National Championship game to earn Defensive MVP. Helping matters as well was they traded down twice from 35 to 38 and then to 40, picking up a 4th round pick (109) and swapping 5th round picks 140 for 158. Grade: B+