The Titans Roll the Dice on Caleb Farley in the First Round

The Tennessee Titans select Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley at #22 overall.

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The pick is in, and at 22nd overall, the Tennessee Titans selected former Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley in the 2021 NFL Draft. Farley was a bit of a polarizing prospect, hot off the heels of a recent back surgery and bona fide injury concerns. A whole hell of a lot of analysts out there have used the term ‘top 10 talent’ when talking about Farley, but given the fact that he was just under the knife, it caused his draft stock to slide. GM Jon Robinson and head coach Mike Vrabel are happy that it did. For the second time in two years, the Titans selected a player with a recent injury in the first round. It panned out well with Jeffery Simmons. Time will tell with Farley.

Cornerback was a huge need for this team, as second-year man Kristian Fulton and free agent addition Jackrabbit were the only real quality starting caliber players on the roster. Now, it certainly looks like the Titans will be able to line up Jackrabbit on one side, Farley on the other, and keep Fulton in the slot. That’s not a bad trio at all, and I honestly don’t expect the Titans to be done with the position either.

Full transparency here – that’s what we do at SoBros Network – I wasn’t as high on Farley as a lot of others. The speed and athleticism are ungodly. But, I thought there were times on tape that it looked like Farley wasn’t polished enough to play a very nuanced game – being slightly out of position in a way that would get you burnt in the NFL, not turning around to track the ball, for example. Reading that he wasn’t always a corner corrected that for me. Now, I get why they talk about ‘potential’ so much with this guy. He’s already an elite athlete, and he’s already one of the best cover corners in this draft class. Now, imagine if he can clean some of those issues up.

Vrabel said the athleticism is what stood out to him right away in a virtual press conference. He also mentioned that Farley comes from an aggressive scheme, and they liked that. If he can stay healthy, he could be the best man corner to come out of this draft class. He has that kind of talent. And, this is where we see the vision behind this defensive rebuild come to fruition. The Titans invested heavily in the front seven during free agency. They completely blew up their secondary, and they rebuilt it with cover guys on each side of the field. Retool the pass rush, and get guys who won’t be liabilities in the secondary. Simple enough.

I wanted a wide receiver, and I think part of it was just getting my hopes up since Elijah Moore was still on the board. Offensive bias, I guess. If you were watching the SoBros Network livestream throughout the first round of the draft, you probably don’t think I’m too high on this pick. But, I am. It was a huge need for the Titans and now, you can’t help but feel comfortable about the position moving forward. Not to mention, if you read through Farley’s quotes from the post-draft presser, it’ll have you ready to run through a brick wall. Paul Kuharsky quoted him as saying “My best fit in the defense is, ‘Caleb, you’ve got that guy.’” That’s what I like to hear.

Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley

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