Pro Football Focus Loves Virginia Tech Cornerbacks Caleb Farley and Jermaine Waller

Is Virginia Tech’s Caleb Farley the best cornerback in college football entering the 2020 season?

Well, according to Pro Football Focus, Farley is right at the top.

Highest graded cover CBs against power-five offenses in 2019:

1. Caleb Farley, VA Tech - 91.6
2. Derek Stingley Jr, LSU - 90.9
3. Trevon Diggs, Alabama - 87.4
4. Kaiir Elam, Florida - 87.3 pic.twitter.com/hptvSiqGmf
— PFF College (@PFF_College) May 30, 2020

While some would argue that LSU’s Derek Stingley, Jr. is the nation’s top corner — and rightfully so — the hype on Farley is real.

Throughout this offseason, PFF, which does a great job in analyzing individual performance at the college and NFL level, has ranked Farley at or near the top in a number of areas.

In 2019, Farley saw 356 coverage snaps. He was targeted 50 times and opponents completed just 18. And, in 20 of the 50 attempts, Farley contested those passes and allowed only five receptions.

Farley allowed a quarterback rating of just 26.8 in 2019 when he was targeted. PFF ranked him No. 2 behind only Florida’s Kaiir Elam.

Lowest passer rating allowed when targeted in 2019

1. Kaiir Elam, Florida - 18.3
2. Caleb Farley, VA Tech - 26.8
3. Mykael Wright, Oregon - 28.4
4. Jamar Johnson, Indiana - 31.7 pic.twitter.com/5VxJbxNODy
— PFF College (@PFF_College) May 27, 2020

In his breakout campaign in 2019, Farley allowed a total of 257 yards and one touchdown all season. This earned him a coverage rating of 90.3, which is the best for all returning players in the ACC and third in the nation behind Stingley and Elijah Molden of Washington.

The highest coverage grade among returning ACC defenders:

Virginia Tech CB Caleb Farley - 90.3 pic.twitter.com/0COvDJTLp7
— PFF College (@PFF_College) May 24, 2020

On Tuesday, PFF released yet another metric where Farley was No. 1. Interestingly enough, teammate Jermaine Waller was right behind him.

Coverage snaps per reception allowed in 2019 among power-5 CBs:

1. Caleb Farley, Virginia Tech - 20.9
1. Jermaine Waller, Virginia Tech - 20.9 pic.twitter.com/iqeXC4FtKy
— PFF College (@PFF_College) June 9, 2020

At 6-foot-2, 207 pounds, Farley has elite size for a cornerback. Add in his speed and athleticism and you have the makings of a first-round pick in 2021.

Remember when Farley was supposed to be Virginia Tech’s next great receiver when he enrolled back in 2017?

Looks like he found the right fit on defense instead.