Caleb Downs: Cowboys' Draft Steal at Pick 12?

0:00On April 14th Ohio State Safety Caleb Downs stands out as a top talent for the 2026 NFL draft and the Dallas Cowboys could snag. Him at pick number 12, if he slides like many safeties do. He's a complete player at a position where Dallas has struggled for years, never quite building a real strength there. The Cowboys added Jalen Thompson and PJ. Lock and free agency, but under new defensive coordinator Christian Parker, a former defensive backs coach, they might target Downs for more. Firepower. Draft guru Daniel Jeremiah ranks him as the eighth or ninth best player overall, calling it prime value that late. Jeremiah nails it on safeties, getting undervalued. Derwin James and Kyle Hamilton fell outside the top 10 and Nick Mnworry just went in the second round. Fans and analysts see Dallas needing average defense at worst and Downs could turn that into something special as their key chess piece. Teams raved about Downs at the NFL Combine for his elite smarts and communication, letting him quarterback

1:01the secondary and roam the field freely. That directly fixes last season's confusion under the old coordinator, making him a no-brainer beyond pure skills. Grabbing Downs there would hand Parker the communicator to sink everything up, potentially flipping the Cowboys defense into contender mode