Nick Saban made the Cowboys drafting Caleb Downs even better for Ohio State fans

It's amazing to think that Caleb Downs fell all the way to 11th in the NFL Draft. 

The All-American safety has been that guy since he entered college football and there weren't too many times when Downs wasn't the best player on a Buckeyes defense that had all 11 starters from the 2024 CFP Championship team drafted over the past two years. 

And before Downs came to Ohio State, he started his career at Alabama under Nick Saban, where he was a second team All-American as a freshman for the Crimson Tide. Saban, who was part of the ABC/ESPN coverage on the first night of the draft, had nothing but praise for Downs.

"And I tell you what, there are only a few guys that I love more than this guy as a player on our football team, and he did a great job and improved even more at Ohio State," Saban said.

Nick Saban couldn't stop glowing about Caleb Downs

Sometimes I think the draft gets so caught up in certain needs and holes to fill that we forget that just having a lot of great football players on a team is a good thing. Downs doesn't play as coveted a position in the NFL as a quarterback or an edge rusher might, but he's been the undisputed best at what he does since he got to college.

The real evaluation that needs to be done with Downs is watching the film and seeing the effect that he has on darn near every snap. He's the leader on the field, and he made everyone else around him better. It's no secret that Saban raved about him Thursday night and has likely raved about him for the past three years. He's a game changer on defense and someone that a few teams in the top 10 will wonder why they let him slip to the Dallas Cowboys. 

There are always a few surprises in every draft class. Some guys live up to their potential, others don't. But with Downs, it feels like a near guarantee that he's going to be one of the best players in the league for a long time. 

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