Ninth of the 11-part series. Coming tomorrow: Security
A few months ago, Caleb Farley topped or ranked any corner for the 2021 NFL Draft.
Now, he may be on the board when the Jets finished 23rd in the first round.
Back surgery in March, his second in more than a year, has convinced many that Farley will last more than expected in this draft. He is one of the most attractive prospects because he has immense talent, but after two surgeries and a torn ACL in college, the risk of injury is intimidating to a lot of teams. He also chose the 2020 season, which creates more difficulty in evaluation.
Unable to attend Virginia Tech’s Pro Day last month due to back surgery.
“I have to control what I can control,” Farley said. He said, ‘I got a big report [back specialist] Dr [Robert] Watkins about the weather. In fact, the only negative about the situation is not being able to complete the numbers that I needed. I am still thankful to be in the position that I can showcase my talent at the next level and whichever team catches me will be the best corner in the draft. “
Farley played in the 2019 season with a herniated L5 disc and S1 bulge and injured himself to lift weights. They are at the base of the spine. He had surgery after that season to fix L5 with the hope that S1 would correct itself. This did not happen, due to which the process started in March.
At this month’s medical checkup in Indianapolis, Farley reportedly received a good report and is expected to be ready for training camp. Nevertheless, teams may be someone to carry on with a history of that type of injury. For the Jets, it would remind some of Dee Milliner’s first round of their 2013, which always battled injuries.
Farley said he is not worried about how it affects his draft stock.
“It’s for the media,” he said. “When the team looks at imaging and gets real information, I don’t think that will be an issue. I’ve accepted my draft invite, so I’ll be in Cleveland. If a team wants the best corner in the draft, they will find me. “
No one can question Farley’s athleticism. He played quarterback through high school, scoring 58 total touchdowns as a senior at North Carolina, and then moved to wide receiver at Virginia Tech. After a medical redshirt season in 2017, he went to the corner in 2018. The 6-foot-1, 197-pounder ranked for just two seasons, but had defended 25 passes in 24 games.
He ruled out of the 2020 season with good reason. She lost her mother to breast cancer in January 2018.
“I didn’t risk losing another parent or loving one,” Farley said when he announced his decision.
Opt-outs could hurt his stock with teams moving away from two-year games to evaluate him and question how raw he is after two years.
Mel Capper, ESPN’s draft analyst, said, “Caleb Farley, I think he needs to play this year so he can tackle and show the toughs.” “He gets a little … people say ‘pretty.” There are some penalties that would normally be called for in the NFL and were not in college. He has got to clean up. He has got tremendous talent. A former quarterback and wide receiver and now he has developed into a cat of a cover boy. Its length is. He has got athletic ability. But three are injured. You talk about ACL, then backwards and then for second cleaning that makes it a third cornerback, maybe a fourth cornerback. He could go anywhere between 16 and 23, in that area, in my opinion. “
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