The Ohio State Buckeyes superstar Caleb Downs declares for the 2026 NFL Draft
It is official, Ohio State superstar Caleb Downs has declared for the 2026 NFL Draft. After two years in Columbus, Downs made it official on his podcast, Downs 2 Business, that he is declaring for the draft.
Downs came to Ohio State after Nick Saban decided to retire from the coaching profession after his Freshman season. That season was shockingly good for the budding star. In many ways, it was his best year, especially on the stat sheet. That freshman season, Downs tallied 107 tackles, three passes broken up, two interceptions, and one forced fumble.
107 tackles. That is laughable from the safety position.
It is because of that that many Buckeye fans were so excited to have him in the Scarlet and Gray.
In his first year as a Buckeye, it took a little while for him to find his home on the Ohio State defense. He was playing in the post a little bit more than usual, but he was unlocked when he got closer to the line of scrimmage. He came up with another spectacular season, finishing with 81 tackles, six pass breakups, two more interceptions, and half of a sack.
He was so key in the Buckeyes' run to the National Championship, with his highlight being the game sealing interception of Quinn Ewers in the Cotton Bowl Semifinal.
That historic run set up his final season as a college player, and in it, he won the Thorpe Award as the best defensive back in the country. He finished the year with 68 tackles, two more interceptions, two forced fumbles (both against Miami), one pass breakup, and one sack on the year.
Downs was really unlocked thanks to defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, who really challenged Downs with NFL type schemes, and he answered them with flying colors.
Downs brings everything that you could ever want to the table. He is so athletically gifted, he is so intelligent, so mature, has a football IQ that is off the charts, and gets to the football with bad intentions.
Wherever he lands, he is going to make an immediate, day one impact.
For Ohio State, that leaves a major hole in the defense that has put together back-to-back incredible seasons. Caleb is the great eraser at the back end of the unit, and finding a replacement for him will be impossible.
There are a couple of targets in the transfer portal that they will target, and they will look internally to develop Malik Hartford, Jaylen McClain, and many of the others that are in that room.
Caleb Downs will immediately upgrade whatever team selects him, just as he upgraded the Buckeyes two years ago.