Ohio State Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs is set to be one of the top defensive backs in the NFL draft this coming April. He just may not get selected at the draft slot he's probably hoping for, which should cost him several million dollars.
Cleveland.com's Andrew Gillis believes teams at the top of the NFL draft won't believe they're just a safety away from contending, more likely eyeing a tackle or someone who can move the needle more on the field.
“Caleb Downs is a top 10 player in this draft,” co-host Andrew Gillis said. “Caleb Downs is very clearly a dude, but I think teams... will look at this and say, ‘We could take a tackle over Caleb.’
“...Especially at the top of the draft, there are teams that are going to look at Caleb and say, ‘We’re not a safety away from being really good.’”
Downs, who is in the running for the prestigious Bronko Nagurski Award, given to the best defensive player in college football. Most consider him to be the second-best player in the sport behind his teammate, receiver Jeremiah Smith.
And yet, the NFL draft isn't about taking the best player available. It's about fit. And with 22 positions on the field and 32 teams, there's never a one-size-fits-all situation that guarantees someone at the top of the draft. And the only things that buck that trend are usually quarterbacks.
Unfortunately for Downs, there aren't really "franchise safeties" in football. It's an expensive position, and oftentimes they can be the highest-paid players on the field, but there are countless examples of bad teams with elite DBs.
From the sounds of it, teams are wary of becoming that in a league that's increasingly tailoring the draft to quarterbacks and offensive talent.
Whoever Downs falls to, though, is getting a gamer. Downs' impact at OSU is immeasurable, helping turn the team into a champion in his first year in Columbus and further cementing the team's defensive dominance in 2025 with historically great play.
We'll see what NFL teams benefit from Downs being heartbroken on draft night by a slide.