NASHVILLE – Caleb Farley is doing a lot of things in the NFL for the first time.
Farley, the team's first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, made his practice field debut on Monday. The talented defensive back from Virginia Tech hopes it's just the start of a long and successful NFL career.
Fellow defensive back Jackrabbit Jenkins, meanwhile, knows the drill. Heading into his 10th NFL season, he's well aware of the rigors of training camp, and getting himself ready for a season.
In Tennessee, the veteran Jenkins plans to show the rookie Farley the way, while doing his part to make the team better alongside him.
"He's a great kid, he likes to work, and you can tell he likes to take coaching," Jenkins said of Farley, who was taken off the team's Non-Football Injury list on Monday morning. "I like everything about him – he is young, he is fast, he is strong. He likes to take coaching. And when you get signs like that from a young guy, he's going to be a great player.
"I am just excited to see him play. He is going to be a factor on this team."
Yes, the Titans got their first glimpse of Farley in Monday's session.
Decked out in No.3, his new number, Farley went through individual drills, in addition to other periods with his teammates. He showed no lingering issues after months of rehabilitation and recovery from back surgery. In the session, Farley ran well, and he looked fluid. He showed good footwork in a WR/DB releases drill, and he used his hands well.
While Farley let a football go off his hands in a tip drill, it was an otherwise pretty impressive start.
"It is just going to be working him back in and trying to make sure that he feels good," Titans coach Mike Vrabel said when asked what's next for Farley. "And (making sure) that the conditioning level is where it needs to be, to be able to compete and get him through practice."
Farley arrived in Tennessee was some impressive college tape.
While at Virginia Tech in 2019, Farley led the conference in passes defensed (16) and ranked second in interceptions (4). In two seasons for the Hokies, he played in 24 games and totaled 56 tackles, six interceptions, 25 passes defensed and one sack.
Vrabel said Farley has impressed him off the field as well – with his rap talent.
"Great personality, I love coaching him," Vrabel said of Farley. "He has already written two raps. We get him up there, he is a first rounder, so he is in charge of the entertainment sometimes. I told him to be ready to go, he got up with a notebook and guys liked it, I liked it. He has a great personality. I am excited to watch him play, and this was a great step in hopefully a long career here to get him out on the practice field."
Jenkins, who is 32, made it clear he'll be more than willing to show the 22-year-old Farley the way as he gets himself up to speed.
At one point during Monday's practice, in fact, Jenkins worked with Farley, and gave him some pointers.
It sounds like they've been in constant conversation this offseason.
"He stays picking my brain in the meetings," Jenkins said of Farley. "It is part of my job. I am the veteran of the secondary, and probably one of the older guys back there besides K.B. (Kevin Byard). Just getting him up to par, man, and showing him that you are going to have ups and downs, and at the end of the day it is about how you bounce back."
Jenkins, of course, wants to do his part to help the team as well.
He arrived in Tennessee with some impressive credentials himself.
A 5-foot-10, 190-pounder, Jenkins has 26 interceptions in his nine-year career with the Rams, Giants and Saints.
Jenkins started 14 games in New Orleans last season, including the playoffs. He had three interceptions in 2020, one of which he returned for a touchdown in a Week 1 victory over Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 2020, Jenkins also posted 43 tackles and 12 pass defensed, and he now has a total of 118 in his career.
In Tennessee, he wants to be a tone-setter, and a playmaker, with the Titans.
Among NFL players since 2012, Jenkins ranks first in passes defensed (119), first in defensive touchdowns scored (9) and fourth in interceptions (26). Jenkins has registered two or more interceptions in eight of his nine NFL seasons.
"Every time I touch the football field, I feel like I am on the playground," said Jenkins, a second-round draft pick with the Rams in 2012 who has started a total of 128 games in the regular season and four more in the playoffs. "I like to have fun, I like to fly around and just play with a chip on my shoulder.
"If you don't have energy, baby, you can feed off me. All day, every day."
