Caleb Downs didn't hesitate much when asked whether he was the best defender in this year's NFL draft.
"Yeah," he stated with calm confidence at the NFL Scouting Combine on Thursday. "I feel confident every time I step on the field. If I would say that I walked on the field and thought anybody was better than me – yeah, that's not true."
Anyone who's watched Downs play the last three seasons, the first at Alabama and later two at Ohio State, knows that confidence is warranted. Even the brother of one of the most notorious villains in Buckeye football lore acknowledges it.
“We favor Hall of Fame safeties, so if we have a chance to draft a potential future Hall of Fame safety in Caleb Downs, that would be just fine with me,” newly minted New York Giants coach John Harbaugh said on the Mike Francesca Podcast on Feb. 13. “We’ll take the best player. When you draft that high, you take the best player. It’s not a need pick, it’s a best player pick because you’re going for the guy that’s going to be that kind of player. You’re talking about a player that you would like to see someday wearing a gold jacket if possible.”
Amid discussions about how high he can go due to the lack of supposed positional value for safeties, Downs remains self-assured about the traits that separate him from his peers on the defensive side of the football.
"My confidence level is always at the highest when I'm on the field," Downs said. "The belief in myself really never goes down, no matter the circumstance. I feel like my mind really puts me above a lot of people, in terms of how I process the game and play with instincts. I feel like that's what makes me special."
For those who need a recap of Downs' college accolades, here's an attempt to sum them up in one paragraph. A five-star prospect out of high school, the safety recorded more than 100 tackles as a freshman at Alabama en route to winning the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year. He transferred to Ohio State in 2024 and was elected a unanimous All-American and Thorpe Award (nation's best defensive back) finalist for the national champion Buckeyes, then anchored their defense while taking home the Thorpe Award and earning his second unanimous All-American nod. Both of those Ohio State defenses finished No. 1 nationally in scoring and total defense.
Downs totaled 257 tackles with 16 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, six interceptions and 12 pass breakups in just three collegiate seasons. As wild as it is to say, those stats understate the impact he made in Ohio State's defense the last two years. He was the piece that made its secondary function at such an elite level. He could line up anywhere in the back end, playing 240 snaps at deep safety, 241 in the box and 146 in the slot in 2025. And his unreal football intelligence – he ensured everyone was in the right place.
"He's like a second coach out there," former Ohio State defensive end Caden Curry said. "He's that guy that if you make a mistake or if you are kind of getting in your head, he's the guy that's going to settle you down. He's going to be the guy to help you play faster and play more physical because you're not thinking as much. He's one of those guys that just makes it so much better to play for a guy that's in that back end because he's always going to be there for you."
"If I would say that I walked on the field and thought anybody was better than me – yeah, that's not true."– Caleb Downs
That versatility is another trait that separates Downs from his peers. That's something else that should make NFL teams confident in drafting the future star: He could fill a need at any of three positions in a defense, be it free safety, strong safety or nickelback. Versatility on defense has never been in more demand thanks to the continued evolution of offense.
"I feel like being able to play multiple positions is what makes people useful, makes people special," Downs said. "Being able to play in the box, being able to play in the deep part of the field, being able to play slot, nickel, or dime. I feel like that makes people unique."
Downs' confidence and this story are no insult to other elite defensive prospects in the draft, three of whom were Buckeye teammates in Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles and Kayden McDonald. Miami defensive end Reuben Bain Jr. and Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez have an argument to be top-five selections. But the man with the highest floor, thanks to his intense preparation, intelligence, instincts and athleticism, is Downs. And among the highest ceilings, too.
"You draft a player like Caleb Downs, you draft a player that is ready from the moment you draft him," former Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun said. "He’s ready to go as soon as you draft him. He’s a football savant. He can understand and process football at a very high level."
No safety has been selected in the top 10 of the NFL draft since LSU's Jamal Adams went No. 6 overall in 2017. Only one has ever gone higher than fifth overall, Eric Turner, who the Cleveland Browns picked second in 1991. Sean Taylor (Washington, 2004) and Eric Berry (Kansas City, 2010) both went fifth overall to make it three top-five picks at safety all-time.
Forget positional value. If NFL GMs are worth their paychecks, Downs will become the fourth. If not, someone outside the top five will be thanking their lucky stars.
"At the end of the day, who's the best defender? It's not really positional value, it's who affects the game," Downs said. "If you affect the game in a lot of ways, that's what's most important. So that's really all I can worry about. Honestly, I can't worry about what anybody else says or what the coaches have done. At the end of the day, my film is what it is. They're going to make a decision based off of that."
