The Dallas Cowboys were patient for 10 picks. But at No. 11, they had to move up for safety Caleb Downs out of Ohio State. Considered one of the best players of the class, it\u2019s a massive steal. <\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t![\"Ohio](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/USATSI_28779488-scaled.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOhio State Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs (2) celebrates an interception with cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr. (7) abnd linebacker Sonny Styles (0) during the first half of the NCAA football game against the Grambling State Tigers at Ohio Stadium on Sept. 6, 2025.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAdam Cairns\/Columbus Dispatch \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n
The Dallas Cowboys were patient for 10 picks. But at No. 11, they had to move up for Ohio State safety Caleb Downs. <\/p>\n
The Cowboys moved up one spot after agreeing to a deal with the Miami Dolphins. In return for moving up from No. overall, the Cowboys gave up two of their three fifth-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft (No. 177 and No. 182).<\/p>\n
In Downs, the Cowboys are getting a player with All-Pro written all over him, and he\u2019s a perfect fit for new defensive coordinator Christian Parker. In the pre-draft process, Downs was widely regarded as the smartest player of the class. That alone makes him a perfect candidate to become an immediate communicator in Parker\u2019s multiple defense.<\/p>\n
More than that, Downs plays like a missile near the box. Though slightly undersized, he\u2019s fast and physical, and he\u2019s one of the best tacklers in the class. He can do it all: Defend the run, cover, and run sideline to sideline. He played several positions for Nick Saban and Matt Patricia, and he could be a nickel, box safety, or free safety for the Cowboys.<\/p>\n
Paired with another versatile DB like Jalen Thompson, the Cowboys defense just got a lot more fun to watch. <\/p>\n
Without any further ado, let\u2019s dive into Brandon Little\u2019s scouting report detailing what Downs brings to the table for the Cowboys. <\/p>\n
Caleb Downs scouting report<\/p>\n
Age: 21<\/p>\n
Career projection: All-Pro potential<\/p>\n
School: Ohio State<\/p>\n
There may not be a smarter football player in the entire draft than Downs. If he wants to be a coach when his playing career is over, that path will be there for the taking. Downs was a unanimous two-time All-American at Ohio State, and there hasn\u2019t been a more impressive safety in college football over the past three years. Ohio State often played Downs closer to the line of scrimmage to maximize his impact, but his freshman tape at Alabama shows more of his ability to fly around in coverage.<\/p>\n
Downs is at his best when reading and reacting, which he does at a high level\u2014something I\u2019ve consistently seen during his time at Ohio State. He has the ability to be a hard-hitting safety who doesn\u2019t shy away from contact, and he\u2019s comfortable in both man and zone coverage. With his instincts, football IQ, and overall talent, there may not be a safer pick in the draft\u2014even at a non-premium position.<\/p>\n
\u2013 Brandon Little<\/p>\n
Final grade<\/p>\n
I can\u2019t overthink this one. You can throw positional value out the window for all I care. The Cowboys got a heck of a football player. He\u2019s an immediate starter and upgrade on defense, and fans won\u2019t have to wait to see him make an impact.<\/p>\n
On top of that, the Cowboys get a standout teammate who can be a communicator inside Parker\u2019s defense. <\/p>\n
GRADE: A+<\/p>\n
With the Cowboys picking again at No. 20 overall, you still have time to game out the rest of the draft with our simulator below\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Dallas Cowboys were patient for 10 picks. But at No. 11, they had to move up for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":603234,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[30873,399,398,396,397,99],"class_list":["post-603233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ncaa-football","tag-caleb-downs","tag-football","tag-ncaa","tag-ncaa-football","tag-ncaafootball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/603233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=603233"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/603233\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/603234"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=603233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=603233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=603233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}