Caleb Farley NFL Draft Profile

Statistics:

• 2018 (13 Games): 36 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack, 7 PD, 2 INTs
• 2019 (10 Games): 20 tackles, 12 PD, 4 INTs

‘Tis the season for speculation, and there certainly are a few circulating Caleb Farley. If you haven’t heard by now, Farley recently suffered his second back injury since 2019. The first injury was a disk herniation that he reportedly suffered in the weight room, and it knocked him out for the remainder of Virginia Tech’s season. He then opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns. 

Because we hadn’t seen Farley play football since November 2019, his Pro Day was supposed to be his answer to any questions NFL teams have had about his progression. Unfortunately, the second back injury occurred, and this one is quite concerning. This injury, per Farley himself in a press conference, required a microdiscectomy. 

For anyone wanting more details on Farley’s injury, I would recommend checking out his Pro Day press conference. Honestly, it was quite impressive, and he lays pretty much everything out there. Here’s the issue though. He basically played off that the microdiscectomy is no big deal. For reference, this is the same procedure that Tiger Woods has had performed five separate times in the past due to repeated back problems. Of course, Farley is much younger than Woods and may have an easier time recovering, but it’s certainly troubling. 

Enough of the doom and gloom, though, because when healthy, there is very little doubt that Farley is one of the top corners in this draft. He has a tremendous combo of size and speed for the position. Standing at 6’2 and 207 pounds, he is big enough to dominate receivers at the line of scrimmage, but he is still quick enough to stick with the speedsters. 

Not only that, but Farley has a very unique advantage on the defensive side of the ball. Farley is a former quarterback himself, so his ability to read a QB’s line of vision and predict plays is superb. In fact, Farley himself has said his physical skill set isn’t what sets him apart, but instead he is most proud of what he brings to the game mentally. 

Farley definitely still needs to develop in order to become an elite corner, especially in run support and just being more consistent in coverage, but he has a place on many NFL teams. He thrives in man-to-man coverage and has a knack for making plays on the ball. If Farley can overcome his injury concerns, he could be a steal in this draft.

Draft Projection: Late First Round-Early Second Round

Best Traits: Physicality, Man Coverage, Instincts

Worst Traits: Durability, Run Support, Penalties