Many analysts consider Caleb Downs the best player in the 2026 NFL Draft. However, his path to the top pick is complicated by the number of teams prioritizing quarterbacks like Fernando Mendoza, given NFL teams’ impending QB needs. If not for Caleb’s safety position, maybe he would have been a sure-shot, no. 1 pick in the draft. But Caleb is confident of his draft chances and sends a clear message to the NFL teams.

“You’re just a safety, and you can’t be taken that high. How do you respond to something like that, Caleb?” Rich Eisen asked the OSU #2 in a February 27 interview at the NFL Combine. After some pondering, Downs had a convincing response. “At the end of the day, it’s not safety; it’s who affects the game,” Downs said. “You can affect the game in a lot of different ways. And I think if you watch my film, you’ll see that I’m affecting the game in the box.”

“In the deep part of the field. Sometimes on special teams, whatever it takes. So yeah, I feel confident in my abilities at any point in any situation. Whatever position I get put in, it’ll have to work out,” Downs added. It’s rare for a safety to go in the first round, and even rarer to crack the top ten. But dark horses also sprout up occasionally.

The New York Jets drafted Jamal Adams in 2017 as the sixth overall pick. The Kansas City Chiefs took Eric Berry fifth overall in 2010, and he is the last safety to be taken in the top five. All signs signal a herculean challenge as a top-5 pick for Downs, due to his safety position. But in recent years, we have also seen safeties doing more than just mop-up duties in the backfield.

In the 2026 Super Bowl, versatile safety Nick Emmanwori held the Seahawks’ defense together. The 22-year-old made the PFWA rookie team last year and finished second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. And he did all of that after coming as a second-round pick for the Seahawks from South Carolina. So, for Caleb Downs, Emmanwori is an inspiration.

“He had a great year,” Downs said about Emmanwori. “Nick changed the game with his size and how he played and the physicality he played with, and then also being able to play the coverage he played. “Just like Emmanwori, Downs is also more than a safety in defense and has featured in multiple roles. Analysts widely describe him as a “hybrid defender” capable of playing as a linebacker and also doing coverages like an elite cornerback.

2018 turned out to be a surprising year for high impact safeties taken in the first round. We had Minkah Fitzpatrick and Derwin James  who went 11th and 17th, respectively, and both became two of the best players at their positions. Fitzpatrick went to the Dolphins and ended his rookie season with 51 solo tackles, two interceptions, nine passes defended, and a touchdown while appearing in all 16 games and starting in 11 of them.

James had an even better year with the Chargers. He started all 16 games as a rookie and produced a total of 75 solo tackles, 3.5 sacks, 13 pass deflections, and three interceptions. James earned first team All-Pro honors and was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team. Then came Kyle Hamilton who was a top prospect in the 2022 NFL Draft. He was selected as the 14th pick and is now the NFL’s best nickel defender in Baltimore.

In the 2025 season, Downs played 214 snaps in the box, 226 at free safety, 134 in the slot, 34 in the D-line, and 9 at the corner position. That dynamism allowed Ohio State to produce a top-ranked total defense, conceding just 219.1 yards per game. The 2025 Jim Thorpe Award winner is a legitimate chess piece in any defense, and his aggression, paired with physicality, can be a nightmare for the best offenses.

For now, he is participating in the Combine only for media and other interviews with NFL teams. He is not participating in any drills. He is trusting his tape, keeping his head down, and hoping for the best. “At the end of the day, my film is what it is, and they’ll make a decision based on that,” Downs concluded. For NFL teams, though, he is a highly prized commodity, and Giants head coach John Harbaugh announced it publicly.

Caleb Downs responds to John Harbaugh’s praise

Apart from elite defensive dynamism and physicality, the 6-foot and 205 lb DB will bring leadership to any team. He captained the Ohio State team last year and notched 68 tackles, a sack, and two pass breakups. In total, Downs has 257 tackles to his name in his collegiate career and has put in those performances consistently. With his film tape filled with iconic moments, John Harbaugh called Downs a “future Hall of Fame safety” and even pondered taking the player.

“We’ll take the best player. You know, when you draft that high, you take the best player. It’s not a need pick,” Harbaugh added. Upon hearing Harbaugh’s praise, Downs responded in kind. “It’s an honor, honestly. He’s a legend of the game,” Downs said about Harbaugh. “It’ll be an honor to meet him whenever I do. So, that would be great, and I’m looking forward to meeting him.” So far, Downs has met with ” a dozen” teams at the NFL Combine and is going through the pre-draft process just like any other player.

Mel Kiper Jr.’s mock draft predicts Downs to go 2nd overall behind only Fernando Mendoza. Moreover, the 6-foot safety is already gaining widespread upward traction in other mock drafts. As for the Giants, they have a #5 overall pick in this year’s draft, and after John Harbaugh’s comments, New York could likely be Caleb’s next destination.