Top 10 cornerbacks in the 2021 NFL Draft
There are a lot of promising cornerbacks in the 2021 NFL draft. The list includes slot and outside corners. My top three are very much in line with what the consensus NFL draft rankings seem to be, but after that, the choices are a bit different.
These rankings are purely based on tape and do not take into consideration any injury or off-field issues. So, without further ado, let's get started with our list of the top ten cornerbacks in the 2021 NFL draft.
#1 2021 NFL Draft Prospect: Caleb Farley
6’ 2”, 200 pounds; RS JR
This young man emerged out of seemingly nowhere in 2019. He came out of high school as a top-500 overall recruit, playing quarterback and starting out his career with the Hokies as a wide receiver.
After missing his first season with a knee injury, the 2021 NFL draft prospect quickly switched to the defensive side of the ball and hit the ground running.
In 2018, he was impressive, but it was the next season that he earned a first-team All-ACC selection. In ten games, he intercepted four passes (one returned for a touchdown) and broke up another 12. He opted out of last season and his stock seemed to drop after he underwent back surgery.
Also check out: Complete 2018 NFL Draft Results
In terms of measurements and all-around athleticism, Farley is a prototype prospect. At Virginia Tech, he was asked to play a lot of soft press-man and cover-three, where he played catch technique or stack on top.
In those three-deep coverages, he oftentimes doesn’t have to open up until the ball is in the air. He can stay over the top of vertical routes, keeping his eyes on the quarterback and hips turned inside on the side-bail. He seems comfortable matching basically any route and not getting run by.
For a lanky guy, Farley’s ability to click and close from off-alignment to break up slants and other quick in-breaking routes is tremendous. He can stop his feet and come out of his breaks in off-coverage. When he is attached to the target, he uses a bit of an arm-bar to help himself redirect and ever so slightly slow down the receiver without getting flagged for it.
On deeper-developing routes, where he has to switch from running downfield to attacking back towards the quarterback, he can transition his weight extremely well. He has that springiness that is rarely seen for a corner of his measurements.
Farley is one of those rare guys who can get their hands on the ball on comeback routes. He also possesses hip mobility to snap off on out routes just like receivers do and not allow any separation. Moreover, his long arms are immense in helping him contest the catch point late.
The 2021 NFL draft prospect had two outstanding picks in the end-zone of the 2019 Miami game. He stayed in a perfect position inside, attached to the hip of the receivers against a post route. On an out route, where the receiver initially stemmed vertically, the 2021 NFL draft prospect was able to undercut and nearly had another one later on.
Overall, the 2021 NFL draft prospect allowed a passer rating of a measly 26.8 that season. On just under 400 coverage snaps, he only allowed 18 of 50 targets to be completed for 257 yards and one touchdown, while he came up with five picks himself. Not only did the Virginia Tech coaching staff trust the 2021 NFL draft prospect to cover one-third of the field as their field-side corner, but opposing teams also started using a lot of formation into the boundary.
They put the single receiver all the way outside the numbers with Farley, yet the Hokies still kept that single-high safety either dead in the middle or even shaded towards the overloaded side. The 2021 NFL draft prospect has a slippery ability to dip his shoulder away from contact to blow up screens and work around picks.
He also has the quick burst to close distances in a hurry. The 2021 NFL draft prospect was used quite a bit blitzing off the edge, arriving at the quarterback rapidly with shakiness to get around the back. When he does have to tackle one-on-one in space, he wrestles the ball carrier down pretty effectively, which is evident in his three misses in 2019.
On the flip side, the 2021 NFL draft prospect is not very interested in getting off blocks and involving himself against the run. Strong receivers can push him around a bit by getting him to bail with the release and then get their hands on his chest.
His tackling technique is a work in progress, especially when wrapping up and driving his legs. As far as his coverage goes, there are some false steps and wasted movement that he needs to eliminate. He barely played any press man-coverage in college (58 total snaps according to PFF).
The 2021 NFL draft prospect will have to learn a lot about different jam techniques. In zone coverage, he drifts at times and doesn’t show great awareness when he becomes the hang defender.
Obviously, there’s limited tape on him against mediocre competition for the most part, which of course, I won’t blame him or anybody else for opting out of 2020. But a torn ACL cost him what should have been the 2021 NFL draft prospect's freshman season in 2017. He missed the last couple of games as a sophomore due to back spasms, which seem to be a regular occurrence for him.
There are certainly more physical and technically sound corners in the 2021 NFL draft this year, but nobody has the kind of upside Farley has. He has all the physical tools to turn into a shutdown guy on the outside; his length, speed, fluidity and quickness are all top-notch.
However, he needs to become a more consistent tackler, especially in schemes that need him to contribute more in that area. But he could become one of the top corners in the league in a single-high system if he can stay healthy. With the back surgery he had a few weeks ago, he is likely going to drop to the latter half of the 2021 NFL draft first round, though.
Also check out: Complete 2019 NFL Draft Results