2021 NFL Mock Draft: Bears trade into top 10, Washington Football Team goes offense

The Cardinals did well in replacing Patrick Peterson with Malcolm Butler this year at a cheaper cost, but the team still needs another starting cornerback on the outside. Byron Murphy has been good in the slot, but Robert Alford can’t be relied on to start outside anymore.

Adding a potential No. 1 corner with the 16th pick makes a lot of sense, and Farley is a great value here.

Farley could be the best corner in this year’s class, but he is slipping a bit due to medical concerns. He sat out the 2020 season because of the pandemic but still needed to get surgery on a troublesome back injury.

That said, last time Farley was on the field, he was one of the best cornerbacks in the country. He had four interceptions and 12 pass defenses despite being thrown at relatively infrequently by quarterbacks. The 6-foot-2, 207-pound corner should have a chance to be a true shutdown No. 1 corner and would complement Butler well.

Of course, all that depends on whether or not Farley is healthy. If he is, he should be a top-20 pick. If teams are worried about him or don’t have enough information about him because of the lack of a combine this offseason, he could slide to the end of the first round.

For now, Farley makes sense for the Cardinals. The reward outweighs the risk and if he pans out, he and Isaiah Simmons will be two dynamic playmakers in that back seven, along with Budda Baker.