2021 NFL Draft: Raiders top 5 worst picks of the first round

4. Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech (22nd overall, Titans)

Caleb Farley would have been CB1 of this 2021 NFL Draft class potentially, were it not for a bad history of injuries at Virginia Tech and the threat of potential future surgery needed for his back.

Farley is the latest in a fairly long line of very risky picks in recent years by the Titans in the first round.

Neither of the team’s 2017 first-round picks — Corey Davis and Adoree Jackson — are with the team anymore.

2018 first-round pick Rashaan Evans looks like a strong pick and 2019 first-rounder Jeffery Simmons does as well, but there’s no denying that Simmons — coming off of a serious injury — was a huge risk in the first round in 2019.

The Titans’ top pick in the 2020 NFL Draft — offensive tackle Isaiah Wilson — is off the team already and has issues beyond football that he needs to work out.

Needless to say, despite the fact that Farley could work out and be great, the Titans needed a bit less of a risk with this pick, in my opinion. They could have gone with Greg Newsome out of Northwestern here, or even another offensive tackle like Teven Jenkins to replace Wilson.