With the No. 22 pick, the Titans snagged Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley. He wound up lasting beyond the No. 20 pick – despite agent Drew Rosenhaus’ prediction — but he still landed in Round 1 despite the medical concerns.
If it weren’t for his multiple back surgeries, Farley could have been a top 10 pick. He hasn’t played since 2019, but his surgeon says he’ll be cleared before training camp in late July.
Originally a quarterback in high school, Farley committed to the Hokies in 2017 as a wide receiver. Then, an ACL tear wiped out his true freshman season. When he returned, he was asked to change positions again — this time, to cornerback. By 2019, he was a star defender for the Hokies, racking up four interceptions and 12 passes defensed en route to First-Team All-ACC honors. He also allowed a completion rate of less than 50% on passes thrown in his direction.
Other teams were scared off, but the Titans believe that Farley is well worth the risk. It also helps that they’ve had success in this area before. Two years ago, they took a gamble on Jeffery Simmons after his ACL tear. Now, he stands as one of the Titans’ most talented defenders.
they also took a gamble last year with Isaiah Wilson. His brain was injured. Didn’t work out
It seems like the Titans were locked in on corner help no matter what this year. They made their decision early by letting Butler and Jackson walk, and even sort of began last year (perhaps unintentionally) by letting Ryan walk as well.
Farley may not have been ideal due to his injury issues, but I suppose he was the best corner on their board at the time. Tennessee wanted a corner badly, and he was who was there. My guess is that they, like most of us, may not have expected both Denver AND Carolina to take corners, and thought one of the those two would fall to them. Samuel it seems could have a safer choice, but I guess we’ll see. The Saints left him on the board as well to take an edge rusher, which I found puzzling.
Steal. Future pro bowler
Top 3 Farley’s of all time:
1. Chris
2. John (old neighbor)
3. Maybe Caleb?