Philadelphia Eagles draft: Watch potential prospect Caleb Farley run his 40

As Philadelphia Eagles fans and members of the media, you have to be getting hyped for this upcoming NFL Draft, don’t you? The Birds have a chance to get better by adding some talent, and one of the guys that they’ll no doubt be looking at is former Virginia Tech Hokies standout Caleb Farley, a six-foot-two, 207-pound cornerback prospect who has the tools to be coached into something special at the professional level.

Every draft pundit sees Farley as one of the best at his position. Some see him as the guy they should put at the top of their list. There are a few things to take note of, however. One, we haven’t seen Caleb Farley in a while. He sat out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns. He’s also had his share of injuries.

He’s dealt with both a torn ACL and back issues, but we still know that he can play. In 23 career games, he’s racked up 56 total tackles, a sack, 19 pass breakups, and six interceptions. He missed Virginia Tech’s Pro Day due to a procedure being done on his back, but fear not scouts and fans. ESPN’s Adam Schefter got a clip of Farley running his 40 from one of the leaders in sports training, Bommarito Performance Systems.

Take a look at this if you’re a Philadelphia Eagles fan.

Yep, that’s a 4.28-second 40-yard dash time. There’s no need to adjust those stopwatches, but will that be enough to ensure that his name will be called in Round 1? Let’s dig in a little.

Will the Philadelphia Eagles be concerned by the recent back procedure?

Oh, how lonely it must feel when you’re one of the top prospects coming into the NFL Draft but you’re also coming off of an injury. Such is the case for Farley. Let’s back up and touch on a few things before we get too far ahead of ourselves though.

Any mention of the draft, cornerback prospects, and recent injuries if you’re an Eagles fan all lead to one conversation if you’re hanging out with some friends, Sidney Jones. Prior to the 2017 draft, he ruptured his Achilles tendon but the Birds made a decision. They decided to draft him anyway, doing so with the hope that, once he recovered, he’d be a top-flight cover guy for years to come.

There isn’t a Birds fan in the Delaware Valley or anywhere else in the United States that doesn’t know how that worked out. Jones isn’t on the team anymore, and the Philadelphia Eagles have been looking for help at the cornerback position during every single offseason ever since, hence this conversation about Mr. Farley.

Don’t stress too much if you’re a Philadelphia Eagles fan.

Back injuries are tough, and if you’re an Eagles fan, the mention of one might make you think of Timmy Jernigan, who was never the same guy after undergoing a corrective procedure right after Super Bowl 52. Farley seems to be healed and approaching what he once was physically, but the scarlet letter, in this case, an ‘I’ will follow him through the draft process.

Don’t be surprised if he slips a little and if the Birds are able to land him in Round 2. You never know with the NFL’s draft. There are always surprises, and none of us can say with any certainty how the 32 NFL teams are valuing this young man as we march towards the end of April.