Why Ohio State’s Pro Day Is Now Critical for Caleb Downs’ Draft Prospects

The 2026 NFL Scouting Combine wrapped up a couple of days ago, but Ohio State safety Caleb Downs became a hot topic despite not even working out in Indy.

A couple of medical red flags were reported regarding a “partially torn meniscus” and “a potentially degenerative ACL”, meaning he’ll have some catching up to do in the pre-draft process to ease the minds of team executives, scouts and coaches.

That’s why Ohio State’s pro day on March 25th will become a critical part of Downs’ evaluations. The scrutiny in Columbus has now been multiplied tenfold.

Former Ohio State linebackers Steele Chambers and Bobby Carpenter discussed on the BIGPLAY Sports Network's “The Bobby Carpenter Show” all the extra attention that Downs brought onto himself for the pro day, after opting out of the Combine workouts.

“The perception of it is a little bit warped because throughout the entire week Ohio State guys had just been dominating. Sonny [Styles], Arvell [Reese], Lorenzo [Styles Jr.], they went out there and absolutely killed it.

"What people think is the best player of all of them decides to skip out, a lot of people probably just think his times aren't going to be up to par with the other guys."

-@steeleC22 sees Caleb Downs silencing doubters at pro day

Presented by @FanDuel https://t.co/p0NkuPmRRi pic.twitter.com/6A3gMYHbJE
— Bobby Carpenter Show (@BobbyCarpShow) March 3, 2026

“And now, what people think who is the best player of all of them, decides to skip out? A lot of people probably just think that his times aren’t gonna be up to par with the other guys. So, I think it’s a little bit of perception. And then, yeah, he’s not gonna have a lot of leeway once he gets to that pro day, because that’s it. He’s gonna be on the hands time, it’s gonna be a little faster, so they’re probably hoping for something really, really fast. Probably waiting for him to jump high, be strong on the 225 [bench press]. So, I think he’s personally gonna kill it, but he doesn’t have as much leeway now since he's only gonna be doing this stuff at the pro day.”

Did Caleb Downs make a mistake by not participating in the Scouting Combine’s workouts?

We won’t know for sure until Ohio State’s pro day, if and only if he turns in disappointing numbers. Otherwise, this discussion will become a non-issue going forward.

However, keep in mind that Indy’s turf is considered a fast surface, and the Buckeyes mentioned by Chambers aren’t the only ones who put up blazing speeds. As a group, the safeties were burning it up, with times like Styles Jr. 4.27, and Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman’s [a fringe first-round prospect] 4.35 really turning heads.

While nobody really expects Downs to clock a sub 4.4 during his pro day, he does need to avoid a slow time.

Is Caleb Downs’ projection as the 2026 NFL Draft’s best available safety in jeopardy?

Not likely, as long as that ACL checks out alright. Pat McAfee has already spoken to multiple teams about Downs, and is reporting no concerns there.

There is no significant concern with his knee..

The stock of Caleb Downs will not drop because of any medical #PMSLive https://t.co/EGfloGJoaq pic.twitter.com/hFxzU3Ooai
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 3, 2026

Downs is a two-time Unanimous All-American, first-team All-SEC and two-time All-Big Ten, Thorpe Award winner who’s been projected as a first-rounder for months. Bleacher/Report has him as the top player on their Big Board, while ESPN’s Mel Kiper has him mocked second overall to the New York Jets.

All that is hard to erase just based on workout numbers. And remember, Downs will also be visiting with teams personally, where he might be asked to perform a few drills.

Yes, Ohio State’s pro day is the most important date on Downs’ calendar for the immediate future, but there’s so much he’s already put on film.

“[Downs] was probably the best high school player I had ever seen,” said Buckeyes’ coach Ryan Day recently on the “Jim Rome Show.”

“He did it all and he made everybody around him better. He did the same thing when he was in college. This is another guy that has only played three years of college football. So, his ceiling is really high here and he’s not a finished product. When you get around him, it’s like talking to a 10-year vet in the NFL. His understanding of football and work ethic.”

For his part, Downs has no doubts as to what he can do at the NFL level.

"It's not really [about] positional value," Downs said at the Combine. "It's who affects the game. If you affect the game in a lot of ways, that's what's most important."

Now he just needs to show enough on March 25th to be drafted where we all know he should be drafted: at the top of the first round.