Caleb Downs to Cowboys at 12? Schrager's Mock Shakes Up Draft

0:00On April 7th, ESPN's Peter Schreger just dropped his latest mock for the 2026 NFL draft and he's sending Ohio State Safety Caleb Downs straight to the Dallas Cowboys at the 12 pick. Downs, one of the top college defenders out there, could be a massive value grab if he slides that far. This comes after Bleacher Report had him going 5th overall to the New York Giants in their bigboard, where he's ranked as the number one prospect overall. His Buckeye squad had the nation's stingy as defense, the only FPS team keeping opponents under 10 points per game all season. Safety's rarely cracked the top 5 these days. Last time a defensive back went that high was Eric Berry to the Chiefs back in 2010. Cowboys fans know their defense struggled big last year, so they've been busy rebuilding with new defensive coordinator, Christian Parker, and Fresh. Defensive line additions like Rashan Gary and Otito Albania. Scouts rave about Downs' do-it-all skills, calling him the perfect chess piece who fits any scheme and changes games right away.

1:03If he's still on the board, when Dallas picks on April 23rd, he'd slot in as an instant upgrade for Parker's crew. Dallas might just land a defensive cornerstone here, turning that secondary into a shutdown unit before you know it.