Mel Kiper states Caleb Downs belongs in 'the top one, two, three' of 2026 NFL Draft

The Ohio State Buckeyes managed to put 14 players in the NFL Draft last season. Now, going into 2025, they’re loaded with talent again, and at least one player, star defensive back Caleb Downs, looks like he’s going to be an early pick.

In a mock draft that ESPN’s Field Yates released ahead of the season, he had Downs going fifth overall. That, however, according to his co-host on First Draft, Mel Kiper Jr., may not be high enough.

“The mind that he has,” Mel Kiper said. “The great football intelligence, and to go out of high school — remember his brother Josh, his father Gary, great lineage there of great talent in the family. Great bloodlines, right? To come into Nick Saban‘s defense and act like you’re a senior, as a freshman, and play like that, like he did. Then go to Ohio State and play for Jim Knowles… and play the way he did, leading them to a national title. Now in year three, who’s the coordinator? Matt Patricia, with all his Super Bowl rings.”

In 2024, Downs finished the season with 82 total tackles, eight tackles for a loss. He also had two interceptions and six passes defended. In the process, he’d be named an All-American and help the Buckeyes to win a national championship.

“This kid is a great leader. He is a great football player; he does everything well. He might be the safest pick of the top guys on the defensive side in this draft. Caleb Downs to me, is certainly, when you put him up on the board,” Kiper said. “And forget about positional value and whatever, he belongs in the top one, two, three.”

Kiper did have one warning for what could hurt Caleb Downs’ draft stock. If, in a new defense and with a new supporting cast around him, he could be forced to overcompensate and that could hurt his overall performance. The comparison to that would be Malaki Starks, who still went in the first round but potentially not as high as previously expected.

“If he gets down to five, it would probably at this point,” Kiper said. “Based on what we expect Caleb Downs to be this year, and remember… there’s not many starters coming back. He and [Sonny] Styles… are two guys on that national championship defense to return. Everybody else is new. We saw what happened with Malaki Starks at Georgia. When there were a lot of new guys, he was trying to make up for a lot of mistakes and didn’t have the great year. That’s why he dropped to the late 20s when he was a steal for the Baltimore Ravens. So, for Caleb now to not have all that talent around him, we’ll see if he plays at that elite level this season for the Buckeyes.”

Downs and that Ohio State defense are going to be tested right away. The Buckeyes open with Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns on August 30th.