Caleb Downs Makes Case for Rare Top-10 Safety Pick
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- Caleb Downs worked out at Ohio State's pro day on March 25 with NFL personnel from teams holding early 2026 draft picks watching, arguing he 'affects the game at the highest level' and should be picked as high as any player in this class.
- Since 2000, only eight safeties have been selected in the NFL draft's top 10 — most recently Jamal Adams in 2017 — and just six have gone in the top five since the common draft era began in 1967, with none since Eric Berry in 2010.
- Caleb Downs built a two-time unanimous All-American résumé at Ohio State plus a 2024 national championship, a Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award, the Jim Thorpe Award, and an earlier SEC Defensive Freshman of the Year honor at Alabama.
- The Ohio State Buckeyes defense that Downs anchored allowed the fewest points in the country (11.2) over the past two seasons, surrendered only 18 completions of 20-plus yards all year, and gave up just 2.94 yards per rush — sixth best among Power 4 defenses.
- Skeptical NFL executives noted Downs declined to run the 40-yard dash and that his 6-foot, 206-pound frame lacks the physical traits of prior top-10 safeties like Sean Taylor (6-2, 231 pounds) or LaRon Landry (4.35-second 40).
- Versatile playmakers like All-Pro Kyle Hamilton and Seattle hybrid Nick Emmanwori are being deployed as coverage erasers, pressure defenders, and disguise pieces, a shift Ravens coach Jesse Minter said turns players like Downs into 'weapons' you move around the formation.
- Chiefs GM Brett Veach framed the debate bluntly: 'Some of the best players in this draft are at non-premium positions,' naming both Downs and Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles as potential top-10 picks despite safety's long draft discount.
Why it matters: Downs' draft slot will be a referendum on whether NFL teams are ready to pay top-10 prices for a safety in an evolving game that increasingly values versatile defenders who can blitz, cover, and disguise coverages. With only eight safeties going top 10 this century and none since Adams in 2017, a high pick for Downs would mark a measurable break from decades of positional devaluation and signal how aggressively teams are revaluing hybrid safeties like Hamilton.
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