Ohio State safety Caleb Downs is one of the best prospects in this year’s draft class and one of the best at the position that we have seen in the past few years. He has been named a unanimous All-American the past two seasons, and he won the Jim Thorpe Award and the Lott IMPACT Trophy in 2025, as well as winning the Big Ten’s Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year.
Downs has played 44 career games in three seasons at both Alabama and Ohio State, and he has recorded 257 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, six interceptions, and two forced fumbles on defense. He has returned one punt for a touchdown on special teams to show his playmaking prowess.
NFL Draft Analyst Dave Helman Evaluates Caleb Downs’ Floor
Downs is projected to be a consensus first-round pick in next month’s NFL Draft, but there are questions about how good he can be in the NFL. Dave Helman from “The Athletic Football Show” took the time to project him as a high-floor player. He projects Downs as a longtime, consistent starter.
“Assuming good health, the worst-case scenario for Caleb Downs is a five-year starter who departs in free agency,” Helman said on his podcast. “If that’s the downside, I can live with it. It’s not ideal, but I don’t think you’ll look back after three years and see ‘the Caleb Downs draft’ as a setback. I don’t believe that will be the case.”
PFSN’s Ian Cummings Projects Downs to the Dallas Cowboys
Downs is No. 2 on PFSN’s Consensus Big Board with a 93.49 grade. PFSN’s Ian Cummings has Downs going to the Dallas Cowboys at No. 12 overall in his latest mock draft.
Cummings made his analysis on Downs, and here was his take:
“With a second-round pick waiting in the wings, the Cowboys opt to take the best player available in this 2026 NFL Mock Draft. In Christian Parker’s scheme, Caleb Downs can be a do-it-all player or roam as a nickel in the zone,” Cummings wrote.
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“While Downs never did testing this cycle, it doesn’t take much exposure to the tape to know he’s the real deal. Downs’ coverage, mobility, and elite football IQ fuse his game together. He dissuades targets in coverage and is rock solid in support.”
Downs projects as a solid, longtime starter in the NFL, barring injuries, with a floor as a Pro Bowl- or All-Pro-caliber safety at the next level and no flaws in his game.
