Caleb Downs, Ohio State SAF

Strengths

Great feel for zone coverage and has good overall instincts there.
Does a nice job of diagnosing passing plays early by reading the QB and causing disruption in routes early.
Good feel and vision in the run game. Knows when to play containment, track behind the pile, or shoot the gap.
In the box tackle ability looks really solid and he has a sound wrap up technique.
Overall pursuit is good.
Great overall athlete.

Concerns/Weaknesses

The open field tackle ability needs to be improved. Too many cases of shoestring tackles or throwing a shoulder instead of showing the wrap up ability that we see in the box.
Man coverage ability, specifically against TEs, did not look particularly impressive.
Has a tendency in coverage to cheat on routes (man) or leave zones if he thinks he knows where the ball is going. Sometimes it worked for him, other times it caused problems.
It is worth noting this seemed to be an exclusive issue in the slot or in Cover 2. As the safety in single high he plays very disciplined.

Key Statistics / Notes

Tackles: 68
Tackle success rate: 88.4%
INT: 2
Passes Defended: 2
Diverse alignment; about 40/40/20 snap share between deep, box, and slot.
Won the Jim Thorpe Award.

Summary

Downs is a good overall player at the position, but not one that I believe lived up to the “game changer” billing I see from the overall draft community. He does a lot of things well, but there is not one area of his game that I see as elite. Some of the concerns I have can be adjusted by alignment/scheme fit, but historically when I see a blue chip prospect I don’t see this many cases where I have cause for concern. Regardless, I do believe that Downs can be a plus starter at the next level and could live up to his high end billing given the right development.

Tape Grade: RD 1 (8.75 - Dependable Starter)
NFL Position-Type: SAF-Any
Pro style comp: Darnell Savage

2025 Games watched: Michigan, Texas, Wisconsin, Indiana