The Dallas Cowboys wanted Ohio State safety Caleb Downs badly enough that they traded up one spot to get him.
The Cowboys gave up two of their three fifth-round picks (No. 177 and No. 180) to get the consensus No. 1 safety in the draft and the second defensive back taken. Downs was a top-10 pick in most mock drafts and was not expected to last until No. 11.
Caleb Downs university
Caleb Downs attended Ohio State University.
Caleb Downs draft grade
6.47, per NFL.com
Caleb Downs strengths, weaknesses
According to NFL.com: “Productive, high-effort safety with three years of starting experience in big games at Alabama and Ohio State. Downs is an alpha who brings immense juice on each snap. He’s at his best when deployed near the line as a box safety or big nickel back. He’ll gamble a little bit as a run defender, but he makes more than enough disruptive plays near the line of scrimmage to make up for it. He’s fluent in man or zone over the first two levels and is rarely fooled by play-action or misdirection. While he’s quick to close and strike underneath, there are hints of caution that prevent him from making more plays on the football. Downs isn’t the biggest, fastest or most versatile player, but he consistently puts his stamp on games.”
Caleb Downs football stats
2025: First-team Associated Press All-American. Big Ten Conference Defensive Player of the Year, Defensive Back of the Year, first-team All-Big Ten. Won the Jim Thorpe Award and Lott IMPACT Trophy.
Caleb Downs age
He is 21 years old.
Caleb Downs height
He is 6-foot-0.
Caleb Downs weight
He is 206 pounds.
Caleb Downs high school
Mill Street High School, Hoschton, Ga.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Who did the Cowboys draft? Caleb Downs, school No. 11 pick highlights
Reporting by Bret Bloomquist, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
