A cornerback has been the most popular selection for the Arizona Cardinals in the majority of mock drafts, and rightfully so.
It’s a 2021 draft class with three corners graded in the mid-first round, where the Cardinals with a need in the secondary have the 16th overall pick.
One of those three defenders is Virginia Tech’s Caleb Farley, who is ranked by ESPN’s Todd McShay as the No. 12 prospect and 15th by Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN.
The potential first-round pick, though, had surgery on his back in late March, an outpatient procedure to clean up discs in his back. That added the chance of Farley’s draft stock becoming a bit volatile. His agent told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Farley did well after going through a handful of medical rechecks with teams on Friday.
Farley was one of the top players to opt out of the 2020 season due to coronavirus concerns.
The 6-foot-2, 207-pound corner posted six interceptions and 19 passes defensed over the 2018-19 seasons.
“He’s got the size, he’s a former wide receiver,” Kiper told Arizona Sports’ Doug & Wolf on March 1. “He played really well in 2019 as a cover corner, ball-skill down the field, locating the ball down the field. He’s good in front, he’s good behind. What he doesn’t do is tackle well enough.”
In Arizona Sports’ latest mock draft tracker, Farley was the selection by the Cardinals in 11 of the 40 latest projections.
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