Saturday scouting: Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech - Games to watch this Saturday

Good morning New York Giants fans and happy Saturday!

This week we’re going to be taking a look at one of the first big-name players to opt out of the 2020 college football season, cornerback Caleb Farley of Virginia Tech.

Farley is an intriguing prospect with a rare blend of size, length, and athleticism, but is also new to the position after playing quarterback in high school. This is shaping up to be a very good and deep cornerback class, and Farley is a prospect who could see a broad range in his perceived draft stock.

He could wind up being a value pick the Giants target to improve their cornerback position across from James Bradberry.

Prospect: Caleb Farley (CB, Virginia Tech)
Games Watched: vs. Virginia (2018), vs. Notre Dame (2018), vs. Miami (2019), vs. Wake Forest (2019)

Measurables

Height: 6020 (6-foot-2)
Weight: 205 pounds

2019 Stats

Games Played (starts):

Tackles: 20
Passes Defensed: 12
Interceptions: 4 (1 touchdown)

Quick Summary

Best: Length, athleticism, physicality, competitive toughness, press-man coverage
Worst: Zone and off coverage
Projection: A starting corner in a press-man coverage scheme

Game Tape

Full Report

Cornerback Caleb Farley possesses a prototypical blend of size, length, athleticism, and physicality for a press-man corner at the NFL level. Farley typically lines up as the left cornerback, taking inside leverage before the snap. He is a press-man specialist who shows good physicality at the start of the play with a strong one or two-hand jam to disrupt timing and knock receivers off their routes. Farley has little wasted movement in his transition from backpedal to running with receivers and shows the long speed to keep up with all but the fastest receivers down the field. He has good patience and awareness in man coverage, using the receiver’s body language to cue when to play the ball. From there he uses his length well, playing through receivers’ hands to knock the ball away at the catch point. Farley is a physical player who doesn’t shy away from tackle opportunities, nor does he seem to mind getting his hands dirty in run defense. He plays downhill well and shows the ability to take on and set a firm edge against larger players (even tight ends or fullbacks) in the run game.

Farley needs more development in off and zone coverage. He shows a tendency to lose track of the ball carrier when playing off which can slow down his play speed. Farley is also prone to taking overly-aggressive angles to the ball when playing in off or zone coverage. While he has the athleticism to get to the ball quickly, he often finds himself out of position to make a clean tackle when he gets there. And while Farley is a willing run defender, he also needs to improve his technique in shedding blocks.

Projection

Caleb Farley projects as a starting corner in a press-man coverage scheme. He has the size and athleticism to match up with the bigger, stronger, and faster receivers on the outside. He also has the physicality and competitive toughness to disrupt the timing of offensive plays with a strong jam at the beginning of a route, or to establish a firm edge in the run game to force outside runs to continue laterally.

Farley is new to the cornerback position, having played quarterback in high school, and as such still needs some development to reach his ceiling. He doesn’t yet have true positional versatility, as he is still learning how to play in zone or off coverages. That might not be so bad, as the NFL values press-man coverage skills highly and is always willing to work with a high-upside cornerback with plus athletic tools. Farley is also only rarely used as a blitzer and isn’t terribly effective the few times he is rushed into the backfield. That being said, he shows good toughness and physicality as a run defender and rarely gets overwhelmed by blockers (at times even taking on tight ends or fullbacks). Farley still needs to improve his technique in shedding blockers to make tackles on the perimeter. He could also do to take slightly less-aggressive angles downhill in run support.

All told, Farley will be a work in progress when drafted, but still a player who can contribute right away in an aggressive man coverage scheme while the rest of his game is developed.

Games to watch

Iowa State (17) at Oklahoma State (6)

FOX - 3:30p.m.

Prospects To Watch

Iowa State

• Charlie Kolar (TE)
• Greg Eisworth II (S)
• Xavier Hutchinson (WR)

Oklahoma State

• Chuba Hubbard (RB)
• Tylan Wallace (WR)
• Kolby Harvell-Peel (S)
• Rodarius Williams (CB)

South Carolina at LSU

ESPN - 7p.m.

Players to watch

South Carolina

• Shi Smith (WR)
• Jaycee Horn (CB)
• Isreal Mukuamu (CB)
• Kingsley Enagbare (EDGE)

LSU

• Terrace Marshal Jr. (WR)
• Ali Gaye (DL)

Michigan (18) at Minnesota (21)

ABC - 7:30p.m.

Players to watch

Michigan

• Aiden Hutchinson (EDGE)
• Kwity Paye (EDGE)
• Cameron McGrone (LB) *red-shirt sophomore
• Nick Eubanks (TE)

Minnesota

• Daniel Faalele (OT)
• Rashad Bateman (WR)
• Mohamed Ibrahim (RB)

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