Caleb Farley Back Surgery: With the draft around one month away from Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley is undergoing back surgery to treat what is believed to be a herniated disk. According to Farley’s agent Drew Rosenhaus, he is having a microdiscectomy and the surgery will be completed by Dr. Robert Watkins, a leading surgeon that has performed on countless professional athletes including Tony Romo, J.J. Watt, and even completed a similar surgery on Rob Gronkowski.
The surgery is expected to be minimally invasive and he is expected to be healthy by the start of offseason programs.
Right now is not the best time for the surgery to take place as college pro days are happening. Rosenhaus added that Farley will not be participating in any of the workouts with fellow Virginia Tech players, but would meet with teams at the pro day.
Not only did Farley opt out of the 2020 college football season, but he is also now unable to showcase his talents in front of scouts and other executives. Farley is considered one of the top cornerbacks in this draft with names like Alabama’s Patrick Surtain II and South Carolina’s Jaycee Horn.
Farley’s Draft Profile
When looking at the desired mold for an NFL cornerback Farley fits exactly what teams desire. At 6’2” 207 Farley offers great size and length to compete with even the biggest most physical receivers in the league. At 6’2” Farley is expected to be an outside corner.
In two seasons at Virginia Tech Farley totaled 56 total tackles, six interceptions, 19 passes defended, and one touchdown. Farley plays the game fast, physically, and is not afraid to be aggressive.
Playing in the ACC, Farley competed against top-level competition including Notre Dame and wide receiver Chase Claypool who was a second-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers and had a successful rookie season. Before the surgery, Farley was expected by many draft analysts to be selected within the top 10.
Back injuries at times can be a red flag for teams no matter how talented the player is. The first round of the NFL draft is where most of the talent lies and with teams having the ability to select a comparable talent with no injury history it makes things much more difficult.
Teams that need a Corner
In this year’s draft, a majority of the top players expected to go in the top 10 are on offense. Most of these teams with bad records need to jumpstart their offenses and it seems like there aren’t too many defensive players worth top 10 picks. With the possibility of three or more quarterbacks being selected in the top 10, two wide receivers, a tight end, and a massive offensive lineman you begin to wonder where Farley may fall.
Broncos
The Denver Broncos have needed help at cornerback since the departure of their trio with Aqib Talib, A.J. Bouye, and Chris Harris Jr. While Denver may still need a top corner, the team signed Ronald Darby and Kyle Fuller during free agency adding veterans to the defensive side of the ball.
Cowboys
Since the departure of cornerback Byron Jones in 2020, the Cowboys have been lacking playmakers in the secondary. Additionally, the Cowboys lost starting cornerback Chidobe Awuzie in free agency this year to the Bengals.
Right now Dallas’s best corners are second-year player Trevon Diggs who had a solid rookie season and Jourdan Lewis who re-signed this offseason. Dallas needs major help at Cornerback.
Cardinals
For the first time since the 2011 NFL season, the Arizona Cardinals will be without pro bowl cornerback Patrick Peterson. Peterson left Arizona to join the Vikings in free agency.
Arizona already boosted their defense with the signing of J.J. Watt, it might be wise for them to now go out and add a top corner.
