The Cincinnati Bengals could use an infusion of talent in the secondary.
Safety Caleb Downs is not only one of the most talented players in the NFL Draft, but he also played at nearby Ohio State.
It seems like a match made in Heaven if he’s still around when the Bengals pick 10th overall.
Well, the OG Draft guru himself, Mel Kiper Jr., thinks Cincinnati will end up with the opportunity to take him and will capitalize on it.
“Downs reads plays so well and has the speed and wrap-up technique to wrangle and take down ball carriers,” Kiper wrote in his mock of Round 1 on ESPN.com. “And don’t sleep on his ball skills: Downs had two interceptions in each of his three college seasons.”
The Draft expert sees a great fit, writing, “He’s exactly the type of player the Bengals need on the back end. Cincinnati allowed the NFL’s most yards per play in two of the past three campaigns, including 6.2 yards in 2025.”
“The Cincinnati Bengals need help almost everywhere on defense. Why not add a defender who can play almost anywhere?” they wrote.
“Put positional value aside, Caleb Downs might be one of the best players in this entire class. The discussion around him will mirror the discussion around Kyle Hamilton a few years ago, but teams that passed on Hamilton might want to revisit that discussion right now.”
A lot will have to go right for Downs to end up in Cincinnati, but this is an encouraging sign from a guy who knows a lot about what happens behind the scenes.
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