Former Ohio State safety Caleb Downs has staked his claim as one of the most talented players in the 2026 NFL Draft class after a stellar season in Columbus. Downs declared for the NFL Draft after two seasons with the Buckeyes and a freshman season in Tuscaloosa with the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Despite not working out at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis last week, Downs conducted meetings with teams.
Ohio State Legend Addresses Caleb Downs’ Injury Status
On Monday, “Daft on Draft” reporter Corey Kinnan set tongues wagging when he revealed that teams had discovered that Downs had a partially torn meniscus and a potentially degenerative ACL, jeopardizing his draft stock.
During Wednesday’s segment of the “Bobby Carpenter Show,” former Buckeyes legend Bobby Carpenter addressed the claims about Downs’ injury status.
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“I think first day, when people talk about investing in the top-10 of the draft capital, I think the concern for these teams is, ‘We’re gonna give you the guaranteed deal basically for four years, with a fifth year option,” Carpenter said. “They want you to be a franchise piece, a cornerstone moving forward.
“The worry is, maybe you’re fine now, it’s not a big issue. But, is this gonna be a big issue down the road is what people are worried about. In year two or year three? Are you gonna be able to play when you’re 27-29 years old?”
Downs distinguished himself as one of the best players in college football last season, winning the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the best defensive back in the country, and the Lott IMPACT Trophy, which is awarded to the best defensive player in college football.
During Tuesday’s segment of the “Pat McAfee Show,” analyst Pat McAfee debunked the speculation around Downs’ injury status and its potential effect on his draft status.
“Everything is smoke and mirrors right now, especially when it comes to prospects.
Especially, really good prospects,” McAfee said. “Multiple NFL teams have told us there is nothing in the medical that would deter us from bringing Caleb Downs in, especially with how great of a football player he is.
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“There wasn’t one NFL team we talked to this morning that said anything was wrong, and we talked to multiple. This feels like it’s all bullshit, but this is kind of the name of the game in this time. That might be a team that likes him the most, that’s putting that out there, hoping that he’ll fall a little bit.”
Downs earned an impressive PFSN College Safety Impact score of 83.5 after tallying 68 total tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, and 1 sack for the Buckeyes, who wielded one of the best defenses in college football last season.
