NFL Draft Prospect: Caleb Downs, Elite Safety

On April 4, Caleb Downe stands 6-speed tall, weighs 206 pounds, and he's a junior

safety out of Ohio State entering the NFL Draft.

Conversation as a top prospect, this former five-starber crew from Georgia dominated as

the top safety in the 2023 class, starting at Alabama where he logged 8, 190 snaps as

a true freshman.

He transferred to Ohio State as the number one portal guy and helped them snag the national

championship in 2024.

Over three college seasons, mostly at Ohio State, he racked up 2,489 defensive snaps, 96

stops, and just an an, 11.1% mistackle rating.

He played everywhere in their scheme, earning the Latrophy and Jim Thorpe Award in 2025,

plus two unanimous All-American nods and big.

Ten defensive honors multiple times.

His family's got serious NFL roots, dad Gary played at NC State in 7 pro years, uncle

Dre Blie logged 11 seasons, and brother Josh suits up for.

The cults now, that bloodmines shows in his game, elite eyes over the middle, buzz coverage,

zone mastery, and destructive run support from the box.

Scouts rave about his football, IQ, range, quick triggers, and versatility, but note his

size is an elite for top five talk, tackling needs more, wrap-ups, and he can rush into

piles.

Still, his processing speed shuts down passing lanes, and Tim's offense is to run

right into lighter fronts.

Downs is that rare safety outlier who impacts all three levels, baiting QB's deep while

wrecking at the line-worth betting big on with his 7.08 draft grade.

This has been NFL News Today, powered by AI, I'm Corey with The Story.