8. TIAWAN MULLEN, INDIANA
Football is in Mullen's blood. His brother, Trayvon Mullen, is a starting cornerback for the Las Vegas Raiders, while his cousin is none other than 2019 NFL MVP and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. So, it shouldn’t be a surprise to hear that he is currently lighting it up in the collegiate ranks and that he is hands down the best returning cornerback in the Big Ten.The 5-foot-10, 175-pounder has inside-outside versatility and is a ferocious blitzer. He was asked to rush the passer 16 times this past year, and he came away with five total pressures. Mullen is also the proud owner of the highest run-defense grade among cornerbacks since he came to Bloomington as a true freshman in 2019.
And things only get better when we look at his coverage numbers.
Mullen’s 22.9% forced incompletion rate since 2019 is the best among all Power Five cornerbacks. He has allowed more than 40 receiving yards into his coverage just once in his entire career — removing the games with just a few snaps played and looking at those with a minimum of 15 coverage snaps, Mullen has allowed fewer than 40 yards in 94% of his games, which is the best rate among qualifying FBS cornerbacks over the past two years.
Here's to Iowa's CB room stepping up in 2021.
