Caleb Downs has already proven himself to be a very strong all-around talent at safety at two of college football’s elite programs. Now he’s well on his way to being a very lofty draft prospect for the 2026 NFL Draft.
Downs began his college career at Alabama. The 6-foot, 205-pound safety started as a true freshman right away and wound up leading the Crimson Tide in tackles. Considering nearly everyone on that defense is now in the NFL in some capacity, that’s mighty impressive. Downs was just getting started…
In his first season at Ohio State after transferring from Alabama following Nick Saban’s retirement, No. 2 posted 82 total tackles, 7.5 TFLs, 2 INTs, 6 PDs and a sack. Downs did that while playing every possible role a safety can be tasked with in the Buckeyes‘ pro-friendly defense, though primarily from a single-high or amoebic split-safety look.
The closing speed and body control at full speed almost look like a video game cheat code somehow got inserted into Downs. His reactionary quickness and explosive blend of speed and power (for his size) jump off the Ohio State game film. I watched Downs against Texas, Penn State, Michigan, Nebraska, Oregon and Indiana to get a taste. Every bite was more savory than the last.
It’s the little things Downs does that really stand out. Things like feigning a slow-up to savvily fool a Texas offensive lineman into thinking Downs was going to engage in space, when instead he used the slight hesitation to instead get a stronger angle to close on the play as Kelvin Banks–the No. 9 overall pick in 2025–wondered what happened to his blocking matchup.
Things like coming off his coverage mark on a Drew Allar scramble because he knows the Penn State QB (a potential 1st-round pick in 2026) isn’t going to escape backside and Downs sprints to undercut the most obvious outlet route, leading to a throwaway. That’s one that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet but earns helmet stickers from astute coaches. Downs’ game tape is littered with little details like that.
As far as areas for improvement, Downs will drop his head (and eyes) when making a tackle attempt at times, and that leaves him vulnerable to aiming a little low too early. It’s infrequent but not invisible. There were a couple of situations where it felt like Downs should get the INT instead of the PD, notably against Browns third-rounder Dillon Gabriel hanging up a longer throw.
It’s almost impossible to overstate Downs’ obvious football IQ and ability to translate film study into on-field success. He already plays like an NFL veteran.
Safeties don’t typically come off the board in the top 10, even when they’re arguably the best prospect in the draft class–see Kyle Hamilton (14th overall) back in 2022. Yet Downs could be the except. If his game continues to bloom like it has in his first college seasons, Downs could very well wind up as my top-graded player in the 2025 NFL Draft class. He’s that good.