Caleb Downs already catching the attention of Dak Prescott, Cowboys veterans originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Dallas Cowboys landed one of the most NFL-ready players in the 2026 NFL Draft in safety Caleb Downs.
Dallas traded up one spot from No. 12 to select Downs with the 11th pick, and the Ohio State product is set to step into a starting role on the Cowboys’ defense as a do-it-all defensive back.
Though Downs has only been in Dallas for a few weeks, he’s already catching the attention of Cowboys veterans, including long-time starting quarterback Dak Prescott.
Caleb Downs already impressing Cowboys veterans
Downs is a rookie who hasn’t even been in the Cowboys’ building for a month, and the 21-year-old already has Prescott singing his praises.
“Spending a little bit of time already around Caleb [Downs], I love the way that he’s wired,” Prescott said via Jon Machota of The Athletic. “I’m excited for him. He’s got some great vets, whether it be myself to ask questions to, or great vets on that defensive side to help make sure that he gets off to a great start.”
Cowboys third-year linebacker DeMarvion Overshown also had only good things to say when asked about Downs.
“He’s a worker, for sure,” Overshown said of Downs via Machota. “He wants to get better every day. His film speaks for itself. He just wants to help do whatever to help make the team better. That’s one of the conversations we had while we were working out. He’s here to help us win. He’s here to ball out. I’m excited. You have those types of players on your team, you always have a chance on Sundays.”
Downs has the ability to play anywhere in the secondary. During his time at Ohio State, the 6-foot defensive back played free safety, box safety, and nickel corner.
If there was a textbook definition of a defensive Swiss Army Knife, it would be Downs, and he should be able to take the Cowboys’ defense to the next level. The Georgia native is terrific in pass coverage, allowing a 68.5 passer rating when targeted during his collegiate career.
Downs is also a stout run defender, posting an 83.3 PFF run defense grade in 2025 with the Buckeyes, along with 35 defensive stops.
We’ll see how defensive coordinator Christian Parker plans to utilize Downs, but as Overshown said, the back-to-back Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year is willing to play multiple positions and will make the defense better as a result.
