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Tennessee Titans fans have high hopes for first-round pick and cornerback, Caleb Farley, ahead of his first season, but there is also cause for concern.
There’s no question Farley is a special talent. In fact, many experts had him as the No. 1 corner in the 2021 NFL draft if not for medical concerns, and he was someone the Titans had to pick at No. 22 overall after an expected slide.
However, those medical concerns leave Farley’s future up in the air a bit, which is troublesome when you consider that Tennessee is depending on him to help bolster the secondary this coming season, and for the long haul.
We still don’t know when he’ll be cleared to practice, or if he’ll be ready for the start of the season, and we certainly don’t know if his back will hold up when he does take the field.
As a result of those concerns, Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski predicts that Farley will be the Titans’ biggest bust of 2021. Here’s his explanation:
Caleb Farley’s injury history is worrisome.
Maybe it’s unfair to include him due to circumstances outside of his control, but previous issues that kept him off the field can’t be overlooked.
Farley suffered a torn ACL in 2017 before putting together a stellar ’18 performance. A back injury suffered during training cost him games during the 2019 season. Normally, these things can be rationalized if not for the fact the cornerback opted out of last season, then required a microdiscectomy in March, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
No one denies Farley’s natural ability. When healthy, he brings everything a team wants in a No. 1 cover corner. He could have easily been a top-10 draft pick had it not been for his list of injuries. Instead, the Titans took a chance with the 22nd overall pick and must now worry if Farley will stay healthy during his rookie campaign.
Earlier this month, Jim Wyatt of Titans Online stated he didn’t think Farley would be ready for the start of training camp, which will see its first practice on July 28. Don’t be surprised to see him start out on the PUP list instead.
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While we’re very high on Farley and think he can make an immediate impact if healthy, expectations should be tempered early on in his first season.
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