2021 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: CB Caleb Farley, Virginia Tech
CB CALEB FARLEY
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 197 lbs.
Class: Junior (red shirt)
School: Virginia Tech
A three-star recruit out of Maiden, North Carolina, where he was recruited as an athlete. Played quarterback in high school and was moved to wide receiver when he was brought onto the Hokies’ campus.
He was a dynamic high school quarterback - was Second Team All-State with 37 rushing touchdowns at the position in one season. Added 21 passing touchdowns; the total touchdown count of 58 is third in North Carolina single-season history.
He is very raw and new to the position of cornerback. He still had a 48% completion rate when targeted by opposing quarterbacks. He played in 2018 and 2019 before opting out of the 2020 season; he had 17 passes defended in that time frame and seven interceptions while surrendering five touchdowns and recording 53 tackles.
Notables
He missed the final two games of the 2019 season with a back injury. He just had surgery in March on his back as well, so that is a major concern heading into the draft, it appears. He also suffered a non-contact ACL tear in 2017 on his first day of practice at Virginia Tech. Injuries may force a slide in the upcoming draft.
Traits
Great size, length, with elite athletic upside. He has unique movement skills and is very fluid in his hips, has really quick feet, and possesses a twitchy frame with eye-popping burst and explosiveness. He closes width and gets the most out of his short-area quickness ability. He has deep vertical speed to cover as well.
Patience and feet when in press (wasn’t aligned there too often) aren’t quite refined, and it’s evident that he’s new to the position from a technical standpoint; athletic ability bailed him out of mistakes with his decisiveness. He can get a bit greedy at times and attempts to jump underneath routes while bailing on his assignment - leaving him susceptible to double moves.
- Find all of Nick Falato’s draft profile scouting reports in one centralized location.
Feet may not be great in press, but he does show quality play strength in his jam, and he does a great job jamming and riding players up their stems, limiting their space, and staying in phase vertically & horizontally. He is solid with his hand fighting technique.
He uses excellent timing to attack the catch point, and he has a really good feel with his ball skills (surely his time at receiver helps that). He plays with a chip when attacking the ball in the air--a lot of competitive toughness in this area. Shows good tracking, concentration, and adequate processing when in zone to attack adjacent routes (but again, has to do this judiciously).
He brings more reactive quickness than instinctive abilities to a defense. Uses length and good play strength well to force outside releases towards the sideline and off the redline. He has all the physical tools that a team will desire for a corner in any system, outside of his occasional lack of effectiveness as a run defender.
Not the physical run support player that Patrick Surtain II of Alabama happens to be. Farley is undisciplined when tackling; his aiming points aren’t good, he doesn’t maximize his large tackle radius, and he had 21 missed tackles in two seasons. He gets too tall, and he must come to balance when tackling.
Overall, Farley has all the tools that a desired corner needs to be a star in this league. He’s new to the position, so he is raw; his injury history is a concern as well. His combination of size, speed, movement skills, and play strength are flat-out unique. He should be a first-round selection in the draft if everything checks out medically...I just wish he was better as a run defender.
What's next for the Giants this off-season? Sign up for our FREE newsletter for all the latest, and be sure to follow and like us on Facebook.
Submit your questions for our mailbag. And don't forget to check out the daily LockedOn Giants podcast, also available for subscription wherever you find podcasts.
