Caleb Downs — 2026 NFL Mock Draft Roundup 2.0

Besides being a menace in the box and as an overhang nickel, Downs is a culture piece, which Dallas desperately could use on defense.

There might be criticism of a team using a top-10 pick on a safety, but this draft class lacks a ton of elite top-end talent at the premium positions. And Commanders coach Dan Quinn needs to tighten up a defense that allowed a league-worst 384.0 yards per game. Downs is a difference-maker in the mold of Derwin James Jr. or Kyle Hamilton who can dictate what an offense is able to do but also be a matchup problem in multiple alignments.

Downs could be a Troy Polamalu-level talent in the NFL. He's only 5-foot-11, and he may not end up running a 4.35-second 40-yard dash, but I don't care. Not even a little bit. Both Kyle Hamilton and Brian Branch Jr. slipped on draft day because of mediocre 40 times. They're two of the best young defensive backs in football. Downs is a run-game enforcer and has the sideline-to-sideline juice, coupled with the short-area burst, to excel in pass coverage.

It might seem crazy for Downs to slide outside the top 10, but from talking with people around the industry at the Senior Bowl, it appears his range is truly anywhere in the top 20. If he makes it to No. 12, I have no doubt the Cowboys will be interested. Downs earned PFF overall grades above 85.0 in each of the past three seasons as a do-it-all safety.

There may not be a better pound-for-pound football player in this draft class. Incredibly intelligent, explosive and absolutely fearless, Downs is one of the most unique defensive backs we've seen in quite a while. He could help a team's culture overnight.

The defense has fallen apart since Jessie Bates III's departure. In 2022, Bates' final season with the team, Cincinnati ranked 16th in yards allowed, then dropped to 31st, 25th and 31st over the next three seasons. Adding a multi-faceted playmaker to the lineup would go a long way to boosting this unit, and Downs is a high-IQ defender who excels near the box or in the deep half as a playmaking specialist.

Downs has the versatility to play multiple spots, much like his teammate -- in this scenario -- Minkah Fitzpatrick. Downs' football intelligence and leadership are off the charts. Miami has to improve a defense that ranked 24th in scoring and 32nd in opponent completion percentage.