NFL prospect Caleb Downs, a safety who started his college career at Alabama before transferring to Ohio State in 2024, tackles some pre-draft Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby.<\/p>\n
Q: What would your career NFL goal be?<\/p>\n
A: I feel like I have the ability and the mindset to be an all-time great.<\/p>\n
Q: Do you think about the Hall of Fame?<\/p>\n
A: I think about being my best self every game, and if I do that I feel like I have a chance to be great.<\/p>\n
Q: How important is it for you to achieve greatness?<\/p>\n
A: That\u2019s one of the most critical things for me. I mean \u2026 who wants to just be average, honestly? If you\u2019re not trying to achieve greatness in whatever field you\u2019re in, I don\u2019t understand the goal.<\/p>\n
Q: If I were an NFL team or GM, tell me why I should draft Caleb Downs.<\/p>\n
A: You\u2019re getting a playmaker<\/a>, you\u2019re getting somebody to make an impact on your team, and on the field and off the field a great person to be in the community. Somebody to make an immediate impact on your defense, making plays wherever you put him at. Wherever you believe the ball\u2019s going on defense, that\u2019s the play that he\u2019s gonna make.<\/p>\n Q: What makes you a playmaker?<\/p>\n A: I would just say my knack for the game. I feel like the instincts God has given can\u2019t really be replaced, and I can\u2019t really take credit for that, honestly. He\u2019s given me the ability to have a feeling for the game, and then know where the ball\u2019s gonna be, and to know the plays that I have made to feel confident in making them.<\/p>\n Q: How would you describe your on-field mentality?<\/p>\n A: I would just say a leader, honestly. Somebody that\u2019s looking to be a leader on the team, somebody that\u2019s looking to win every game, and try to push my team to win every game. But every time I step on the field I\u2019m trying to make plays, I\u2019m trying to impact the game, that\u2019s what I try to do every time I step on the field.<\/p>\n Q: What are your thoughts on positional value?<\/p>\n A: I think it\u2019s who affects the game. If your safety\u2019s affecting the game, if your corner\u2019s affecting the game, that\u2019s who you\u2019re trying to push the ball to, that\u2019s who you\u2019re trusting to make the plays. And I feel like I do that at a high level, and if you give me an opportunity to make plays that\u2019s what I\u2019m gonna do.<\/p>\n Caleb Downs #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes participates in drills during 2026 Ohio State Pro Day at Woody Hayes Athletic Center on March 25, 2026. Getty Images<\/p>\n Q: Do you have a favorite spot in the secondary?<\/p>\n A: I just like being around the ball.<\/p>\n Q: How much do you enjoy blitzing?<\/p>\n A: I love it (laugh). I mean, who doesn\u2019t love having a chance to go get a sack?<\/p>\n Q: What makes you an effective blitzer?<\/p>\n A: Being able to read the snap count, being able to jump that and then also having a chance to beat the back and do everything like that, one-on-one.<\/p>\n Q: What drives you?<\/p>\n A: I feel like I\u2019m blessed to play. God has blessed me with a lot of talent, a lot of ability, and who would I be not to use the ability He\u2019s given me?<\/p>\n Q: What is the biggest obstacle you\u2019ve had to overcome?<\/p>\n A: Any perfectionist, anybody that wants to succeed at a high level in everything they do, expectations are always gonna be the thing that they have to deal with. So for me it\u2019s dealing with the expectation of trying to be the best, trying to push myself to be great \u2026 being hard on myself and setting a higher standard than anybody could ever set for me in myself.<\/p>\n Q: You\u2019re known as a great leader. What won\u2019t you tolerate from a teammate?<\/p>\n A: Just a lack of meeting a standard. There\u2019s a standard that the team has set, and we\u2019ve agreed on, and you failing to meet it. That had to be spoken and that has to be said. That has to be corrected.<\/p>\n Q: Can a rookie be a leader?<\/p>\n A: It\u2019s not just being a leader but it\u2019s just having the respect of your teammates, then having the respect of the people that you\u2019re around. I feel like if you have the respect of everybody that you\u2019re around and you\u2019ve grown in that and have a relationship with everybody, yeah I feel like I can.<\/p>\n Ohio State Buckeyes defensive back Caleb Downs (2) warms up during an NCAA football game. Adam Cairns\/Columbus Dispatch \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n Q: What is the best example of your toughness?<\/p>\n A: I feel like everybody has an example of that, with just playing through anything you\u2019re going through that week, honestly. \u2026 Playing through injuries that may pop up during the season, playing through the nicks and bruises. That\u2019s what I do, and not make any excuses about it and just go out and play the game. At the end of the day, once you step on the field, it\u2019s about making plays, it\u2019s not about what\u2019s happened before, what injuries you have, it\u2019s just about making plays.<\/p>\n Q: Best example of your will to win?<\/p>\n A: I would just say my freshman year. \u2026 It\u2019s really rare for somebody to go into Alabama and start on that defense their freshman year with Coach [Nick] Saban\u2019s defense. A lot of people who were around me didn\u2019t really think that was something that was applicable or something that could happen. But for me that was just what I wanted to do, and it really didn\u2019t matter about what anybody else thought, it was about me making the choices that would lead me to make an impact on the field whenever I had a chance to. So that was the most important thing for me is just having the will to do what I needed to do to put myself on the field.<\/p>\n Q: Describe Coach Saban.<\/p>\n A: The definition of consistency. Just not getting bored with the details. He\u2019s the most consistent person I know, and being around him for that year was such a positive for my life just getting to learn from somebody that achieved at the best levels.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Q: Was there ever a time you were not prepared for a game?<\/p>\n A: I would say everybody has plays that they say like, \u201cYeah I could have prepared better for that play.\u201d But for an entire game, no.<\/p>\n Q: How much film study per night do you put in during the week?<\/p>\n A: It\u2019s just throughout the day, honestly. So like I would come in and watch film in the morning at the facility, and then would come in before practice again and watch more film, then watch the film after practice and then watch like two or three games. Between that whether I\u2019m going to class, whether I\u2019m doing some treatment, just watch film whenever you have time to do it, and that\u2019s pretty much continuously throughout the day.<\/p>\n Q: Some great safeties over the years: Ed Reed.<\/p>\n A: Extremely efficient player, made a lot of plays in the post in the deep part of the field. One of the most profound safeties with a knack for the football. Could get the football at any point in the season and made a lot of plays.<\/p>\n Q: Troy Polamalu.<\/p>\n A: Probably the most instinctual safety in terms of just making plays everywhere on the field \u2014 in the box, in the lower part of the zones, in the deeper part of the zones. Being able to do it all as a safety, and then just playing free, just played with reckless abandon and no care in the world.<\/p>\n Caleb Downs of the Ohio State Buckeyes speaks to the media during the 2026 NFL Draft Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on February 26, 2026. Getty Images<\/p>\n Q: Do you think you\u2019re similar to one more than the other?<\/p>\n A: I feel like I\u2019m a true three-way player in terms of making plays at every facet. I feel like Troy in terms of being instinctual and making plays at all levels of the field.<\/p>\n Q: Charles Woodson.<\/p>\n A: I feel like he\u2019s one of the most instinctual DBs ever, not just safeties \u2014 being able to play corner, being able to play nickel, and then transfer to safety later in his years in the league, and to be able to do it as long as he did. When I met him after we played Michigan this year, that was one of the highlights of my year just meeting him and showing the respect that I did to him.<\/p>\n Q: Ronnie Lott.<\/p>\n A: He\u2019s a menacing force, posed a lot of fear to the offense. He also played corner and then transformed into a safety, so that showed a lot of his athleticism and abilities on the field. I feel like he was a true leader of his team as well \u2026 being able to lead his team and create that fear that is needed on a defense, from that mentality that\u2019s needed, I feel like he did that at a high level, and then also made a lot of plays on the ball in the tackling game whether that was in the box or in the open field, he did that at the highest level.<\/p>\n Q: How did you know he transferred from corner?<\/p>\n A: I\u2019ve tried to study the greats as much as possible.<\/p>\n Q: How long have you been studying the greats?<\/p>\n A: Probably since my sophomore year.<\/p>\n Q: Sophomore year in college?<\/p>\n A: High school.<\/p>\n Q: Brian Dawkins.<\/p>\n A: Very spiritual leader. He led with his emotions, led with his spirit. I respect that a lot \u2019cause that\u2019s how I would want to be as a player. Played with so much passion and energy for the game and you can see the love of the game that he has from how he walks and the emotion that he plays with.<\/p>\n Q: Kyle Hamilton.<\/p>\n A: Freak of nature (laugh). The size that he has, the ability to play multiple positions, that\u2019s really special and it\u2019s not been seen anytime recently. He set the precedent for a lot of guys that are coming after.<\/p>\n Q: Some have compared you to Budda Baker.<\/p>\n A: Reckless abandon just like Troy. Able to put his foot in the ground and go make a play. Play with no care in the world, just playing fast. Even with I trained with him one time, it was how fast he trains, how violent he did everything. I respected that a lot, and you could see it in his game and how hard he plays, and how relentless he plays.<\/p>\n Q: Some of your Ohio State teammates: Arvell Reese.<\/p>\n A: He plays with violent hands, violent intent every play. I feel like you can see it in his film how violent he is, and that\u2019s a part of defense, so I feel like he did that at a high level<\/a>.<\/p>\n Caleb Downs last November when Ohio State faced Michigan. Getty Images<\/p>\n Q: Could he be a double-digit sacker?<\/p>\n A: Only time will tell, but I think he definitely has the ability and the talent of do it.<\/p>\n Q: Sonny Styles.<\/p>\n