Apparently CB Caleb Farley claims he ran a 4.24 40 at the Exos pro day.
I also heard 4.22 … I know they were both laser timing as well as hand timing and I haven’t been able to verify if this was his laser timed or hand timed speed.
I suspect some articles will come out about it if it’s true.
Any way PFF actually filmed him running it. Here it is.
If this is true he probably should be in talks as a top 5 pick. Everyone knew this kid was fast. But it would be hard for someone like ATL or Philly to pass on a CB with that kind of speed and who can play.
I know Lions fans don’t want to hear this since we took Okudah at 3OA last year but Farley should be a consideration for us at 7OA.
I’d hate spending that much draft capital at CB but this kid just might be worth it.
One analyst I read said his comp was Jalen Ramsey. High praise indeed.
The sweetest scenario would be to trade down a couple of spots (Carolina 8 & 73 or Denver 9 & 72) and pick up an extra 3d Rd pick in the process.
I don’t think they could go much lower than that and still get him.
Of course, one dynamic that may change things dramatically is with all these second tier WRs running sub-4.4 40s (e.g. Wallace & Bateman), teams may feel they can get a WR later and one of the big 3 (most likely Devonta Smith due to his frame), is likely to drop some and push other WRs down the board.
The concept of building from the outside in puts an emphasis on quickly getting the ball in your playmaker’s hands on offense. On defense, coverage takes precedence over stopping the run.
“You can always create pass rush with pressuring,” an NFL coach said to the Chicago Tribune. “But it’s hard to create pass coverage — the ability to cover one-on-one. If you’ve got a guy you know can wipe out one side of the field, that’s pretty damn valuable. I’d like ’em both, but if I’ve got to pick one, I’m taking a cornerback.”
Pro Football Focus did a data study on coverage vs. pass rush and their findings also support this idea, pointing to both being valuable in their own ways. The ability to cover has more significance when measuring the value of a particular player, though.
This concept has led to teams altering their recent draft strategies, as defensive players who can cover—linebackers Devin White and Devin Bush, as well as corner Jeff Okudah—have been drafted higher than previous trends.
Farley is a two-time honoree on Bruce Feldman’s annual freaks list, has blazed a 40 as fast as 4.35 and was reportedly clocked at over 24 miles per hour on GPS trackers during the Notre Dame game last season.
This is from high school:
The measurables all check out with Farley. He is 6’3″ and weighs in at 180 lbs. His 4.37 40-yard dash time seemed too good to be true, until I turned on the tape. To see Farley running at top speed is impressive, but the acceleration he puts on display is nothing short of amazing.
I would have no problem if they draft this kid he looks better than Okudah to me and you can never have too many CBs.He plays and just looks tougher than Okudah put him and AO on the outside and let Jeff play the slot.
The surface matters. You can’t compare anyone this year to previous years with the combine. Indy’s surface was notoriously slow compared to what these facilities use. Surfaces can make like a full .2 seconds difference. On one surface you can run a 4.4 and another a 4.6. another reason why gps data is becoming more and more important. You can get speed info over the course of multiple games
They are lazer timed using the same equipment as the NFL but surfaces do matter. I’m curious if they will be able to get one of these fast guys to also run at their pro day so we can compare.
4.3 flat wouldn’t be one of the fastest players in history. It would be one of the top times at the combine.
What I’m saying is that the 4.24 is likely a bit inflated over a combine time but I always thought he’d run very low 4.3s in Indy (if it hadn’t been canceled).
He plays fast. He looks fast and has been timed in the 4.3’a before.
I was thinking about this and there’s 3 teams right behind us that need CB’s. I could see someone like Dallas moving up to get him if he’s still on the board at 7.
I remember “back in the day” when prospects were skipping the runs at the combine and just doing the pro days. There were plenty of stories about extra fast surfaces, distances being a hair short of 40 yards and even a slight downhill was used. Some schools consistently had faster than normal times for their guys.
Someone who can run a 4.3 flat 40 at the combine in Indy would be one of the fastest players in NFL history. That’s crazy smokin’ fast and just over a dozen guys have ever been officially recorded at 4.3 or better at the combine.
I get that. He is crazy fast though. And he’s been training full time since the fall. Maybe it would’ve been 4.33 at the combine. Farley is very, very fast.
