This is a new weekly series that I’ve decided to start on. With college football still being early, I’m only starting with two rounds of picks. As the college football season goes on, and I’m able to scout more players, I will be adding rounds until draft season comes.
So time to get into a little more detail on what I will be covering in these articles and what is going to separate these articles from other mock drafts online. When I agreed to write for this page what I felt I could bring was my extensive knowledge on the game, and my ability to scout with some of the best. I’ve only been scouting for about two full years, this being my third season scouting, and I’ve made a lot of good picks on some players that many people weren’t high on out of college. Now nobody is perfect, but I feel I can break down a lot of people’s films and find players who I could see becoming the next superstars for the Eagles.
When I make my picks, I’m taking into account many factors. Over the course of the past couple seasons, something I’ve had to wrap my head around is the fact that just because some players are very good, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are going to fit the coaches scheme, and the coaches are going to have more background information on the players as well. So the factors I'm basing these picks upon is going to take that into consideration. I will be considering the coaches scheme that they want to run, the holes and voids on the offense, and defensive side of the ball, and also looking to find replacements for some of the older veterans, and some of the players with contracts almost up.
Round 1, Pick 14: Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech
With Week 4's Sunday games completed, the Eagles are currently holding pick #14 in the 2021 NFL Draft. The Birds had a couple of options that I could’ve gone with, but I personally felt given the value of the pick, Farley (assuming he's available) is the best pick at that point in the draft. The 6’2” cornerback for Virginia Tech is currently my #1 CB and is placed sixth on my big board on the people I’ve scouted. Here are my notes on the star Hokie:
“Caleb Farley has a lot of talent based upon what I'm seeing in his game film from last season. With Farley opting out to prepare for the NFL Draft, most coaches will be scouting off his film from last season. I hope you have time to read because I have a lot to say about this guy.
Farley is a very athletic cornerback for Virginia Tech, and after watching his film I can understand the hype to an extent, however, I believe that he is overhyped from a talent perspective. Farley’s frame is something to keep an eye on, and with his extremely athletic potential, he has the ability to be a lockdown cornerback for many wideouts. Farley is a 6’2” 207-pound corner, and with his speed and frame, I expect him to be a matchup nightmare for many wideouts like Mike Evans, Julio Jones, and many receiving tight ends. With the frame and strength to guard many of those bigger receivers and be able to contest them, he could be a great cornerback.
Something I noticed on film in his matchup against Notre Dame though is that he doesn't exactly have the coverage ability yet to lockdown those bigger guys. He had a couple ofgames that he played very well in, just I’m not buying into the hype quite yet when it comes to his transition to the next level. Farley’s athleticism is quite amazing with his speed and fluid hips along the sideline he shows great potential to be a great cornerback one day. He showed tremendous improvement from the Notre Dame game to the Miami game; he showed a much higher level of coverage ability, and he showed much better instincts when in coverage.
I expect him to be a very good cornerback if he can perform as he did in a few of the games I watched, but the question needs to be asked, will he be able to perform like he did against Miami and Florida State when he has to face higher levels of talent? Or will he get exposed at the next level like he did in a couple plays against Notre Dame?”
This pick here is an upside value pick based upon his ability to be a nightmare mismatch. Farley has a level of athleticism at the cornerback position that although not as uncommon as it once was, he can find himself putting guys like Julio Jones, Mike Evans, Allen Robinson, and DeAndre Hopkins on clamps. Although I’m not saying he will be able to do that in his rookie campaign, facing off against some of the receivers in his rookie year that he will have to face, he could develop into a cornerback in a tier with Stephon Gilmore and Tre'Davious White, and end up being a lockdown cornerback throughout his career.
Conclusion
I know that this article wasn’t super in-depth, but I don't want to give false information, and with me not having multiple players scouted yet, I don’t want to jump ahead of myself. If you want to see more scouting reports of mine and breakdowns, remember to stay tuned, because as the season goes along I will continue to release articles. Next week I’m hoping that I can get you guys another round or a different look with a pick in the first round. Make sure to check back next Monday.
