Caleb Downs was a five-star recruit before joining Alabama, then later transferred to Ohio State and became a national champion in 2024. He continued his magnificent performance in 2025 before declaring for the draft, but one analyst isn’t sold on the hype.
Analyst Doubts Caleb Downs’ Elite Safety Tag Despite College Accolades
Downs never missed a single game in his three-year college career and is highly regarded by his Ohio State teammates and coaches as one of the most talented and intelligent players they have seen. Dane Brugler of The Athletic even reported that multiple NFL scouts consider Downs the best safety prospect they have ever evaluated.
However, NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah remains skeptical of that “best safety prospect” label.
“I don’t know that the statute shows all of his ability. I don’t know the testing is gonna show all of his value,” Jeremiah said in an interview clip posted by football journalist Cory Kinnan on X. “It’s a little bit of a tricky one for me, to be honest. Down says in terms of the evaluation, cuz I hear him talk about like he’s (an) all-time great player. I don’t see that on the tape.
“But I see a very dependable, reliable, steady, solid player who, when you talk to people around there, just talk about his some of his value doesn’t necessarily always show up unless what he’s doing in terms of communicating, leading the organizing, getting that whole group together.”
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Putting aside the debate over whether he is the greatest safety ever, Downs clearly possesses elite talent. Safeties don’t always carry elite draft value, but a player of his caliber is unlikely to slide far in the draft.
Downs earned unanimous All-American honors in both 2024 and 2025. He recorded 68 tackles, five tackles for loss, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles last season, earning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and an 83.5 score in the PFSN College Football Safety Impact Metric.
Even New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh expressed a strong interest in Downs during a recent appearance on the “Mike Francesa Podcast,” suggesting the Giants might consider him with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
“Big fan,” Harbaugh said. “We favor Hall of Fame safeties. So, if we have a chance to draft a potential future Hall of Fame safety in Caleb Downs, that would be just fine with me.
“This would be the highest pick for me ever as a coach, as a head coach. I think the only pick this high as an assistant coach was Donovan McNabb with Andy in Andy’s first year. So, this is pretty exciting to have a pick this high. And that guy (Downs) would be just fine with me. I’d take him in a second.”
Whether Downs is the top safety or not, there is no doubt that the 2026 draft class is among the best for safeties in recent memory. Some analysts have Downs, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, and Dillon Thieneman ranked inside their top 25, and we might see more safeties drafted in Round 1 than quarterbacks and running backs combined.
