2021 NFL Draft: Caleb Farley injury makes him an impossible evaluation
Caleb Farley decided to sit out the 2020 season in order to prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft. He had already established himself as one of the premier defensive prospects in the class and felt like a near-lock to go in the top ten. However, that is changing quickly.
On Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Caleb Farley will have a microdiscectomy on Tuesday and will not perform at Virginia Tech’s Pro Day on Friday. While this appears to be a relatively minor back surgery, any back injury is concerning for a football player. Farley is undoubtedly an extremely talented 2021 NFL Draft prospect but the uncertainty surrounding this injury will likely cause his stock to fall.
Listed at 6-foot-2, 207 pounds, Caleb Farley has great size at the cornerback position. He is a big, long and strong cornerback who uses his length extremely well in coverage. While his size is obviously exciting, Farley’s ability to move as well as he does at his size is what makes him special.
Farley is a smooth mover in space who breaks on the ball quickly and shows legitimate deep speed. He is an explosive athlete who goes up and fights for the ball extremely well and shows obvious value in both man and zone coverage. Caleb Farley is also a converted wide receiver prospect and his ball skills have translated extremely well to the defensive side of the ball.
Make no mistake about it, Farley is an incredibly talented cornerback prospect who has been widely considered one of the premier defensive players in the 2021 NFL Draft class throughout the process. That being said, every team is now going to hesitate to take him early and this back surgery will likely take him completely off of the board for some teams.
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While it is difficult to say where exactly he will land for sure, Caleb Farley is now unlikely to be a top-ten pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Seeing him drop completely out of the first round is not out of the question. It will all come down to the medicals and that makes him an impossible evaluation for those of us on the outside.