Caleb Downs faces injury speculation ahead of the NFL Draft, but teams aren’t backing away from the Ohio State safety.
ESPN’s Pat McAfee reported that NFL organizations remain focused on Downs being one of the best players available rather than any medical concerns.
“Caleb Downs, there’s a report coming out, and who knows what’s real and what isn’t, but we do know that even the people that aren’t considered real, if their sā generates enough traffic it does become a topic of conversation for people around the league, especially if it involves somebody who was deemed a Hall of Famer the first day they were on campus at Alabama,” McAfee said, per Eleven Warriors.
McAfee’s team reached out directly to multiple sources to verify the reports.
“We reached out to the Downs family, and the Downs family immediately sent us to a ‘Suit.’ Sent a thumbs up, never gonna do that. So then we go to a couple of NFL teams and we tried to do a little follow-up on what we have heard. Multiple NFL teams have told us there is nothing in the medical that would deter us from bringing Caleb Downs in, especially with how great of a football player he is.”
Downs transferred from Alabama to Ohio State before the 2024 season. He’s widely considered one of the top defensive backs in college football.
The safety dominated Big Ten competition throughout his lone season with the Buckeyes.
Teams appear more interested in his on-field production than any injury speculation. McAfee’s reporting suggests NFL medical evaluations haven’t raised red flags that would impact Downs’ draft stock.
The former Alabama star built his reputation as an elite defensive back during his time in Tuscaloosa before making the move to Columbus.
