3 pros and cons to the Carolina Panthers drafting Caleb Farley
By Dean Jones
What are the pros and cons to the Carolina Panthers using the No. 8 overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft on Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley?
Although it’s been a relatively quiet start to free agency for the Carolina Panthers, they have made some outstanding moves in pursuit of strengthening a defense that make tremendous improvements as last season went on. Phil Snow’s young and inexperienced unit took some time to get going after wholesale changes across the board, but they came on a significant amount over the second half of the campaign after some notable adjustments.
With the arrivals of Haason Reddick, Morgan Fox, and Denzel Perryman, Carolina should have enough to be immensely competitive from a defensive standpoint in 2021. However, one positional group that needs more work than most is cornerback and just who is going to play opposite Donte Jackson.
The former LSU standout looked like a player with shutdown potential after the bye week. If Jackson can build on this momentum during a contract year, he’ll be a very rich man indeed.
There are plenty of intriguing options still available on the free-agent market for the Panthers to consider. But with their chances of landing a top quarterback prospect diminishing after the San Francisco 49ers moved up to No. 3, selecting a cornerback in the first round appears more likely than ever before.
Should the Panthers choose to do gown this particular route, then Caleb Farley is a prospect that will enter their thoughts. The Virginia Tech product looks like a player with star potential and although rookie corners tend to go through more growing pains than most, his potential is there for all to see.
With this in mind, let’s examine three pros and cons to the Panthers drafting Farley next month.
Pro No. 1
An area of need for the Carolina Panthers
As stated previously, this is an area of substantial need for the Carolina Panthers at the present time. They have Donte Jackson, Stantley Thomas-Oliver, and Troy Pride Jr. as their current options, with Myles Hartsfield also having enough versatility to play as a corner or on the backend.
Considering the inexperience of all three players behind Jackson, a veteran is needed. However, the jury is still out as to whether any of them are viable long-term options, so picking up an elite prospect like Caleb Farley wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world.
Farley’s athleticism and fluidity could give the Panthers something they’ve not had in a long time. This is two cornerbacks who can lock up either side of the field with enough efficiency to give them a chance to be competitive against even the most feared passing attacks in the NFL.
If landing a quarterback at No. 8 is not an option and the top-two tackles are off the board, this will not be a luxury pick by Carolina by any stretch of the imagination.