Carnell Tate selected No. 4 overall to the Tennessee Titans, Arvell Reese goes No. 5 to the New York Giants, Sonny Styles selected No. 7 by the Washington Commanders, Caleb Downs goes No. 11 to the Dallas Cowboys.
Caleb Downs wasn‘t a top-10 pick, but he didn’t have to wait much longer after that.
The Dallas Cowboys traded up one spot to select the former Ohio State safety with the No. 11 overall pick, sending two fifth-round picks to the Miami Dolphins to move up from No. 12 to No. 11 and secure the Jim Thorpe Award winner.
Downs was the fourth Buckeye off the board in the 2026 NFL draft, joining Carnell Tate (No. 4, Titans), Arvell Reese (No. 5, Giants) and Sonny Styles (No. 7, Commanders).
Downs is the first Ohio State safety to be selected in the first round of the NFL draft since the Indianapolis Colts selected Malik Hooker with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft. Downs will now join Hooker in the Cowboys’ secondary.
Downs was the best safety in college football almost from the moment he took the field. He racked up 107 tackles, four pass breakups and two interceptions in his freshman year at Alabama, taking home freshman All-American honors. 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.
Now, Downs will look to continue Ohio State’s history of excellence in the NFL.
“Ohio State has an excellent tradition, a winning tradition, so I feel like that's a special thing to be a part of, and I just want to continue to do that,” Downs told Eleven Warriors of representing Ohio State at the NFL draft.
Downs is the 15th Buckeye to be selected by the Dallas Cowboys and the first since Mike Weber in 2019.
