Caleb Downs Selected #11 by the Dallas Cowboys, Immediately Boosts Swiss-Cheese Secondary

Caleb Downs from Ohio State was selected number 12 overall by the Dallas Cowboys. The Safety immediately boosts the Dallas secondary, which struggled mightily last season. The Cowboys’ secondary has a large number of young players and ranked near the bottom of the National Football League, so this pick made sense. The Cowboys added safeties Jalen Thompson and P.J. Locke in free agency, but Downs can fill a different role as a slot player.

There were concerns about Caleb Downs having a degenerative knee condition, but it seems those concerns have evaporated. Some consider him the best player in the draft. Downs is about six feet tall and weighs about two hundred pounds. The former five-star recruit had long been rumored to go to the Giants, who had the fifth overall pick. Instead, he will go to a divisional rival. The Cowboys traded up to make this pick. How many former Ohio State Buckeyes did you think were going to get selected in the first eleven picks?

Caleb Downs fits the Dallas Cowboys’ needs

Some people considered Caleb Downs the best player in the draft, even if he does not play one of the pivotal positions. The Cowboys traded up and got a steal here. This player could have gone first overall. He was a great player at Alabama and a great player at Ohio State. Last season for the Buckeyes, he played for coordinator Matt Patricia, who coordinated some of the Patriots’ Super Bowl defenses. Downs was able to understand Patricia’s defense quickly and excelled.

Caleb Downs will help the Cowboys because of his versatility. Downs is more than willing to be physical. He can stay with running backs and tight ends. He knows how to communicate to bridge the differences between the front seven and the back end. He was one of the twelve players the Cowboys had a first-round grade on entering the draft.

Caleb Downs Strengths

• Disruptive at the line of scrimmage.
• Helps in run support and can mirror NFL-level running backs.
• Makes a lot of tackles.
• Disciplined and intelligent.
• Explodes laterally to mirror breaks from wide receivers.
• He has great awareness and does not get fooled by misdirection.
• Good instincts and a quick finisher who can burst to close on crossers and digs.
• Also covers well in zone and consistently.
• Limits YAC against the quick game.
• Highly intelligent, basically a coach of the field.

Caleb Downs Weaknesses

• Dives wildly into the backfield and races off the edge.
• He can get trapped in an aggressive downhill pursuit.
• Inconsistent wrapping up on tackles.
• Focuses too much on the receiver instead of locating the ball.
• Does not have the length to defend jump balls downfield.
• Has some trouble with bigger “Y” tight ends in man coverage. That could be a problem in the National Football League.

Caleb Downs in the Context of the Dallas Cowboys

Caleb Downs fits well with the Cowboys. Even though they signed a couple of players in their secondary, Downs will help them. They knew this and moved up to draft him and grabbed the best possible safety in the draft. In college, at Ohio State, Downs routinely called plays on the field, and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia used him in a variety of defensive positions. That versatility should help him with the Cowboys. The Cowboys were terrible last season and have a lot of needs (they could not stop anyone), but Downs was just too attractive to pass up.

Sources say he plays a lot like Budda Baker. The Giants hope so. Downs has a lot of experience in big-time college football, having started for three seasons at Ohio State and Alabama. He is not the biggest, fastest, or strongest player, but he makes up for his physical defects with aggression and intelligence.