We are less than three weeks from the beginning of the 2021 NFL draft and the picture for the Arizona Cardinals with the 16th overall pick is no clearer than it has been. However, one position continues to dominate mock drafts and projections — cornerback.
The latest mock draft to have the Cardinals selecting a cornerback is from Draft Wire managing editor Luke Easterling. He has the Cardinals taking Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley.
After the departure of veteran Patrick Peterson, the Cardinals need a new shutdown corner with that kind of size, length and athleticism. Farley was widely regarded as a top-10 prospect and arguably the best corner in the class before opting out of the 2020 college football season and undergoing offseason back surgery. He reportedly got good marks at his medical checks earlier this month, and if he’s back to full strength, he’d be a steal here.
With cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and Patrick Surtain off the board, Farley is still a solid option. However, he comes with a little more risk. One is the concern with the back surgery. He will be ready for training camp but won’t be able to do on-field work before then. He also hasn’t done much in the way of press man coverage. According to Touchdown Wire’s Mark Schofield, he only had 58 such snaps. He looked good in them, but it is a small enough sample size that it becomes more projection than certainty.
However, he has the size, the ball skills, the game tape and the athleticism to feel comfortable with him developing into a top cornerback in the league.
He isn’t one of the best-case picks to be available, but he is arguably the best of the picks the Cardinals have to choose from.
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