NFL Draft Notes: Caleb Farley, Risers & Fallers, Quarterbacks

Caleb Farley

Virginia Tech CB Caleb Farley is one of the wildcards of the first round. An impressive athlete and talented player, Farley was widely expected to be battling Patrick Surtain II and Jaycee Horn to be the first corner off the board.

However, Farley needed back surgery in March, which was his second in as many years. Farley’s doctor has told teams that he’ll be ready to go by training camp but back issues can linger and Farley also suffered a torn ACL in 2017. Those medical questions, which have been harder to answer this year than in past seasons due to pandemic restrictions, have injected uncertainty into Farley’s draft stock. 

NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero report that several NFL general managers told them they have no major medical concerns and they still expect Farley to be a first-round pick. Others are more concerned and think he could slide to the second. Farley’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, expects Farley to be off the board by the 20th pick. 

Risers & Fallers

• ESPN’s Todd McShay writes he hasn’t spoken with a team in the past week who doesn’t see Ole Miss WR Elijah Moore as their No. 4 receiver outside of the consensus top three. 
• McShay mentions Notre Dame OT Liam Eichenberg and North Dakota State OT Dillon Radunz as players who could sneak into the back end of the first round. 
• He adds Texans OT Samuel Cosmi has some big fans and could be an early second-round pick. 
• Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline says Northwestern OL Rashawn Slater got through combine medical rechecks without any more red flags on his back. 
• However, he adds Georgia DE Azeez Ojulari was flagged for a degenerative lower leg condition that could cause him to slip in the draft. 
• NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero named Wake Forest DL Carlos Basham Jr., Georgia CB Eric Stokes, Georgia CB Tyson Campbell, North Dakota State OT Dillon Radunz, North Carolina RB Javonte Williams and North Carolina WR Dyami Brown as first-round sleepers.
• NFL Media’s Ian Rapaport reports most people have Alabama RB Najee Harris as the top running back, but a few boards have Williams at the top.

Quarterbacks

• ESPN’s Todd McShay says from what he’s hearing there’s not really a consensus on how the league rates Alabama QB Mac Jones, North Dakota State QB Trey Lance and Ohio State QB Justin Fields. 
• McShay adds two people raised the possibility to him of Stanford QB Davis Mills being a surprise first-round pick and sneaks into the end of the round. 
• One general manager told McShay he expects Mills, Florida’s Kyle Trask and Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond to be off the board by the end of the second round. He thinks the Bears, Patriots, Washington and possibly the Broncos are teams to watch for those guys.