While some members of the Cowboys are seeing Downs’ abilities for the first time, the team’s first-round pick in 2025, Tyler Booker, got an early look in Tuscaloosa, Alabama when he and Downs played together for the Crimson Tide.<\/p>\n
“Seeing how he performed as a freshman was really just amazing,” Booker said. “Freshmen don’t start when it comes to spring ball, but Caleb started during spring ball for Nick Saban. So just seeing that alone, I was amazed\u2026 I was upset to lose him when he went to Ohio State, but I’m very glad to see how he progressed and how he did what was best for him and made it to the big stage. I’m very glad to have him as a teammate again.”<\/p>\n
Although they didn’t play at the same time, Cowboys DT Quinnen Williams also knows what it’s like to play for Nick Saban and become a key piece on the defensive side of the ball early in the NFL years.<\/p>\n
“He has all the tools,” Williams said. “All the things that you want in a guy to come in and make an immediate impact. He’s humble, he’s ready to learn, all the things that you see [from] all the guys around the whole entire locker room.”<\/p>\n
Being a first-round pick comes with high expectations. Dallas’ 2024 first-round pick Tyler Guyton certainly understands that as he goes through an important offseason where he\u2019s looking to secure his job<\/a> and is confident Downs will be great at his own.<\/p>\n “He’s a dynamic player,” Guyton said. “It’s an honor to have that type of expectation on you. Being a first rounder, you’re getting a lot of benefits, so it’s only right for you to show up they way they need you to. And he will\u2026 Caleb’s a dog.”<\/p>\n