Since the start of the common draft era in 1967, only five safeties have been selected in the first five picks of an NFL draft.
Only one, Pro Football Hall of Fame All-2010s teamer Eric Berry (No. 5 overall in 2010), has come off the board that early in the past 35 years. He’s one of just eight safeties selected in the top 10 picks of a draft since the year 2000. Of football’s 11 primary position groups, the only positions that have had fewer top-10 picks are interior offensive line and tight end.
But Caleb Downs is not like most safeties. And that’s why, not only for his generational talent but for his ability to fill holes at three different spots in a secondary, he could – and should – come off the board in the first five picks when the 2026 NFL draft opens on Thursday. Certainly in the first 10.
"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 at the NFL Scouting Combine in March. "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."
Downs achieved about all a safety could achieve in his three-year college career.
A freshman All-American with 107 tackles, four pass breakups and two interceptions at Alabama, Downs transferred to Ohio State ahead of his sophomore year and collected unanimous All-American honors in both 2024 and 2025, winning the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s best defensive back in the latter season. He piloted back-to-back No. 1 Buckeye defenses from the secondary, helping the team to a national championship in 2024.
Downs amassed a combined 150 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, four interceptions and eight PBUs in his two seasons at Ohio State. A gifted mind for the game, teammates often compared him to having an extra coach on the field – ball knowledge that will translate to any level.
"He's like a second coach out there," former Ohio State defensive end Caden Curry said at the combine. "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."
Where Downs truly separates himself as attractive for the needy teams at the very top of the draft, however, is his ability to fill any of three needs in a secondary. Both Jim Knowles and Matt Patricia made use of Downs all over the defense in each of their years working with him as Ohio State defensive coordinator.
“He's like a second coach out there.”– Ohio State DE Caden Curry on Caleb Downs
Ohio State’s best defense in 2024 famously came when nickel Jordan Hancock played more deep safety and allowed Downs to be a sideline-to-sideline playmaker closer to the line of scrimmage in the middle of the field. He’d line up 10 to 12 yards off the line of scrimmage and react to what unfolded before him.
Under Patricia in 2025, Downs played 241 snaps in the box, 240 at deep safety and 146 in the slot, per Pro Football Focus. Free safety might be his most natural and projected position, but not by a wide margin. He can play strong safety or the ever-more-important nickel at just as elite a level.
"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 has definitely received the hype of a top-five draft pick, and from the team that is most likely to draft him in the top five. The New York Giants hold the No. 5 selection in the draft and are hunting pieces to rebuild their defense, especially after trading star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals for the 10th overall pick.
“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,” Giants coach John Harbaugh said on the Mike Francesa 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.”
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese and Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey seem to be surefire selections before Downs. Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles, Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate and Miami edge rusher Reuben Bain Jr. are also in the hunt to be top-five selections.
But for any team that wants a high-floor player with Hall of Fame potential and the ability to fill any of three spots in a secondary, Downs should be top of mind in the top five picks. Positional value be damned.
