The 2026 NFL Draft will be a great event for teams to start building for their future. Here is the Caleb Downs NFL Draft Profile.
Position: Safety
School: Ohio State
Size: 6-foot, 205 Pounds
Class: Junior
2025 stats: 68 total tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 interceptions, 2 passes defended, 2 forced fumbles
Downs was a five-star recruit in the class of 2023 who signed with Alabama out of the state of Georgia. He was one of the best players in the country as a freshman, finishing the season with 107 tackles, two interceptions and four passes defended. Following the season, Dwons decided to transfer to Ohio State. During the 2024 season, he helped the team win the national championship with 82 total tackles, two interceptions and six passes defended. He helped Ohio State to return to the CFP in 2025 with 68 total tackles, two interceptions and two passes defended.
Following the 2025 season, Downs declared for the 2026 NFL Draft. He is currently projected to be a top 10 pick.
Downs has solid size and athleticism for an NFL safety. He stands at 6-foot and 205 pounds, giving him solid size and strength for the position. To go with his decent build, he has solid athleticism for the position. He has decent acceleration, speed, agility and body control, which helps him do several things as a safety.
His versatility is really valuable for an NFL defense. Downs has the ability to come down and play in the box to help against the run. He is a plus run defender. Downs can also do several different things in coverage. He is solid in man coverage and in deep zone. Downs also has the ability to be great in the robber role, as he can cover anything crossing the middle.
He has a very high football IQ, as he can see things before they happen. Downs gets his teammates lined up where they need to be and also puts himself in a good position before the play. After the play starts, he has good play diagnosis. He comes downhill against the run and has good route recognition against the pass.
He can get through traffic to make more tackles. Downs is great in his run support, but can get caught in traffic, sometimes from other teams and sometimes even his own teammates. He can make more tackles by getting through the traffic a bit quicker.
Downs doesn’t have the greatest length, which hurts him in a few ways. He can sometimes struggle to wrap up all the way due to lack of length. Bigger tight ends can also reach more balls than he does because he doesn’t have the length to match them.
His ball skills are there, but there are times where he could make more plays on the ball. He doesn’t always turn his head around to find the ball, which limits his ball production. Downs can tweak this at the next level to stop focusing on receivers and be more aggressive towards the ball.
Projected Draft Range: Top 10 Pick
Draft Grade: First Round Pick
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