Where you land matters! While Caleb Downs had to wait a little bit longer than expected to hear his name called, going to the Dallas Cowboys may end up being the best-case scenario for him. The thought was Downs would go inside the top 10 like three of his former Ohio State teammates did in Carnell Tate, Arvell Reese, and Sonny Styles, but it was not meant to be. Dallas made him their pick...
This quote from ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. perhaps put the perfect spin on Downs' surprising fall to Dallas.
“This kid may not be Kyle Hamilton, who’s 6-4, 220, but pound for pound one of the best football players you will ever find. Like I said, he is an alpha. I thought even at No. 2 for the Jets it would have made sense because he will change the culture and nobody on defense needs that more than the Dallas Cowboys.”
He continued by saying "he's the smartest football player Nick Saban coached, 'cause Nick said it."
"He's the smartest football player Nick Saban coached, cause Nick said it."
— Patrick Greenfield (@PCGreenfield) April 24, 2026
Mel Kiper on Caleb Downs after being picked by the Cowboys pic.twitter.com/H25zvTOjVo
Dallas rarely prioritizes safeties, but landing a player of Downs' caliber has changed the paradigm.
Mel Kiper Jr. loves that Dallas traded up to get Caleb Downs at No. 11
Even though Downs was the fourth Buckeye to hear his name called on Thursday night, he still has the chance to be the most impactful one of the quartet when all is said and done. During his first few years in college, Downs was an absolutely sensational defensive back, first at Alabama, and later at Ohio State. He may not have dazzled as much as a junior, but the freshman hype he had was unreal!
Simply put, Dallas is built to make stars. Downs has that makeup in droves. Even though Brian Schottenheimer favors the other side of the ball, Downs is the type of player who can transcend any defense. Assuming he continues to put in the work, he can achieve all that he can be at the NFL level with America's Team. It is one of those draft picks that could set the Cowboys up for future success.
Overall, Dallas needed to take a home-run cut with its first first-round pick. With that being a move to trade up to get Downs at No. 11, the Cowboys knocked it out of the park. He may have been compared to Kyle Hamilton by Kiper in a critical fashion, but this guy knows ball. Everyone in college football wanted Downs to play for their team. Now he gets to star for an emerging Cowboys squad.
If Downs was going to fall outside of the top 10, the Cowboys stopping his fall at No. 11 was perfect.
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