Tennessee Titans: Caleb Farley has Defensive Rookie of the Year upside

To play in the NFL, a player must have the skills and all the tools needed to produce at the next level. The next important trait needed is staying on the field, Caleb Farley has all the tools to be a shutdown corner but has some troubling issues on the medical side.

Early in the process, Farley was arguably the best defensive player in the 2021 NFL Draft class. As time went on, a back issue that occurred while deadlifting made teams pump the brakes and second guess taking him early in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Caleb Farley decided to forego this past season to prepare for the NFL Draft and rehabilitate his back injury. In 2019, Farley showed that he has all the tools to be a dominated outside corner at the next level. In Farley’s two seasons at Virginia Tech, he snagged six interceptions and had 19 pass deflections as a true freshman and sophomore.

Caleb Farley is bigger than your prototypical size standing at 6-foot-2 and weighing around 210 pounds and uses his size to his advantage while also obtaining great speed.

In college, Caleb Farley showed the ability to lock down opposing receivers as both a man and zone coverage defender. He also shows great patience on routes and was able to close in and break on the ball quickly. In zone coverage, Farley uses his size and athleticism to be a ball hawk in his covered zone and can break into gaps when needed. Mix that in with his incredible ball skills at the position makes him a serious problem in the secondary.

The Tennessee Titans used their first-round selection on the young man out of Virginia Tech after cutting two starting corners in Adoree Jackson and Malcolm Butler. Farley will see the field soon, assuming his back is fully healed prior to the season, meaning we will see a lot of reps of him playing outside corner. Also, do not be surprised to see Farley move inside if needed, as his versatility is what makes him so much more special than the other top corners in this class.

To add to his high ceiling, Farley was a quarterback in high school giving him a great football IQ which benefits his game tremendously. Also, with his big frame, Farley has all of the tools to be a solid factor in the Titans’ run defense. There are not many aspects of Farley’s game that are seen as a negative making him a darkhorse candidate to win Rookie Defensive Player of the Year in the 2021 NFL season.

Caleb Farley immediately makes the Tennessee Titans defense better once he walks into the facility. Their pass defense as a whole struggled this past season and adding Farley to the mix will certainly help. As long as he can stay healthy, Farley has a legitimate chance to take home NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors this upcoming season.