Saints Rumors: NO Exploring Trade Up in 2021 NFL Draft; Caleb Farley Linked

Timothy Rapp @@TRappaRTFeatured ColumnistApril 28, 2021

Virginia Tech defensive back Caleb Farley (3) lines up during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Miami, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

In their quest to upgrade the cornerback position, the New Orleans Saints might look to trade up the board.

According to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Saints are considering a move and have eyes for Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley:

Ian Rapoport @RapSheet
Have heard this, as well. The #Saints are a team weighing a potential move up. Not sure if it would be for Caleb Farley, but CB is a big need for NO. https://t.co/hc678iNMbj

Joe Rexrode @joerexrode
Important to add here, Charles says Saints have been "leaky" in recent years and a lot of the pre-draft info on their leanings has been accurate.

Cornerback is a big enough need in New Orleans that a number of mock drafts have the team addressing the position.

Albert Breer of SI.com and Pete Prisco of CBS Sports believe Farley will drop to the Saints at No. 28. Peter King of Pro Football Talk has them selecting Georgia corner Tyson Campbell. The Athletic's Larry Holder believes the team will trade up to No. 21 and select Northwestern corner Greg Newsome.

Were it not for medical concerns—he's had two back surgeries in the past two years and opted out of the 2020 season—Farley might have been a top-10 pick. As it stands, Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network believes he's the 22nd-best player in this draft class, noting he has "outstanding size, length and speed for the cornerback position" and "all of the ingredients to be a No. 1 cornerback at the next level."

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. has him at No. 28 on his big board, noting his "2019 tape is fantastic" and that he "allowed a completion percentage of 24.4 percent when he was the primary defender in coverage in 2019, which ranked first overall in the FBS."

And ESPN's Todd McShay has him at No. 19 on his own big board, writing that Farley "possesses a rare blend of size, length, top-end speed and burst. His ball skills are elite, as he tracks the ball extremely well and has natural instincts when it comes to getting into phase and getting his head turned around at the right time. He reads receivers and is a playmaker."

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So it wouldn't be surprising if the Saints are targeting him. The bigger question will be whether they have to move up the board to get him. If Farley starts to slide, the Saints will be a team to monitor.