Position: Safety
Height: 6’0
Weight: 205
Stats: 2025 (13 games) – 60 tackles, 5 TFL, sack, 2 INT, 2 PBU | 24/37, 150 yds, 50.5 QBR allowed | 10% missed tackle rate
Class/Age: Junior, 21
Team: Ohio State
Positives:
Downs holds a good build and frame for the safety position, with good muscle mass and a strong upper half that allows him to stay physical in both the run and pass game. He pairs this with exceptional instincts and body control. Downs understands the position and offensive tendencies at an elite level consistently seeing the route concepts as they happen while also understanding how to break on the routes consistently. Downs understands positioning and route concepts showing a consistent nature to break off of concepts to others and make a play on the ball downfield or in short area drops. Downs has exceptional football IQ and processing speed consistently gliding around the field and making plays in the run and pass game well before they’re usually diagnosed by other DBs. The junior has elite footspeed, hip flexibility, and overall exceptional movement skills. He understands mirror ability, knows how to utilize leverage and work defenders from the inside or outside hip consistently. Downs tackles well and tackles through the frame consistently driving defenders into the ground and making open field 1-1 tackles at an extremely high level. He uses his strength well throughout run concepts to fight through blocks and lineman to make plays near or behind the LOS along with not getting washed out when playing in the box. Downs has the ability to play a true high safety role along with sliding into a nickel linebacker position, which is where he could be best in the NFL to utilize his traits and best make an impact. Downs instincts showcase pre and post snap consistently calling out coverages, assignments, and making adjustments to the defense where he’s also an innate communicator and high IQ defender consistently understanding concepts, passing receivers off, and understanding the shape of offensive tendencies, formations, and pass fits. The junior shows good strength and physicality to play through the route and consistently knock the ball out in the air or fight receivers in contact during contested catch situations.
Downs also adds some qualities in the return game with 10 punt returns for 185 yards and 2 touchdowns though with his traits as a defender you may want to prevent him from being exposed to additional injury risks as a returner.
Weakness:
Downs showcases elite instincts and traits as a defender, though he does his best work usually when working in the box which could limit his overall value and positional fits in the NFL. Additionally, despite his elite athletic skills and instincts, Downs has struggled to work to outside zone situations and his sideline to sideline range can appear questionable at times. He plays with an aggressive edge that can cause him to take a poor pursuit angle or over pursue a rushing lane leading to large cut back opportunities for the offense or an abandoned assignment in zone coverage situations. His versatility hasn’t allowed him the opportunity to play as a single high safety and strictly as a nickel linebacker or strong safety role, though with his film at those spots it’s hard to imagine him not translating well to a single high role if needed. Downs will need to slow down as well where he can force himself into drag or ankle tackles given his play speed.
Grade: 1.00 – 1st Overall Pick
Pro-Comp: Eric Berry
Caleb Downs is an elite prospect and the biggest knocks come with him being too versatile, playing too aggressive/fast, and positional value. No safety has gone top 12 since 2018 where even then Minkah Fitzpatrick went just 11th overall. Despite this, Caleb Downs projects as a clear cut top 10 selection and should join other Buckeyes Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles in that role. Downs has exceptional instincts, processing ability, tackling, and athletic ability that will translate into a likely multi time All Pro safety with high end ball production. The Raiders have to address a lot of positions this off-season, safety being one of them but the process of taking a runningback, tight end, and safety three straight years with top 10 selections doesn’t bode well for positional value but would bode well for talent to build upon. If the Raiders can’t put themselves in a spot to take a quarterback, or if they miss out on one, taking one of Reese/Downs or another defender would make sense. Caleb Downs is likely to stick in the nickel linebacker role but he’s an exceptional high ceiling, high floor player that can anchor a defensive backend for a decade or more.
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