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Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Ranked No. 1 DB in 2026 NFL Draft

In a ranking of top defensive backs, a predictable name rose to the top.
Joe Cox|
Ohio State safety Caleb Downs has come through two top programs on a direct path to the NFL.
Ohio State safety Caleb Downs has come through two top programs on a direct path to the NFL. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Ohio State BuckeyesAlabama Crimson TideLSU TigersToledo Rockets

With passing games thriving at both the college and NFL levels, defensive backs are increasingly in demand. Accordingly, a top defensive back who has played for two of the top half-dozen programs in college football is already a priority. Add in a season in which he was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, and the sum of the parts is a top NFL Draft prospect.

Top NFL Draft DB Prospect

That is certainly the case with Alabama-then-Ohio State safety Caleb Downs. In a recent ranking of NFL Draft defensive back prospects from Yahoo's Nate Tice and Charles McDonald, Downs landed at the top of the list of Draft-bound defensive back prospects. While some other outstanding prospects were highlighted in the list from Tice and McDonald, Downs is a relatively sure thing as the top defensive back.

Downs's Path

Downs was Rivals' No. 5 national recruit in the 2023 recruiting class (and the top defensive back prospect). He chose Nick Saban and Alabama and starred from day one, even in the talent-rich SEC. Downs totaled 107 tackles and broke up four passes, including a pair of interceptions. After Saban's retirement, Downs hit the transfer portal and resurfaced with Ryan Day and Ohio State.

In 2024, Downs was an All-American, with 82 tackles, including 7.5 tackles for loss. He broke up six passes, including another pair of interceptions. Downs helped the Buckeyes win the College Football Playoff championship and likely could have been a high NFL Draft pick then-- but based on the NFL's Draft eligibility rules, he had to wait another season.

Not only was Downs again an All-American in 2025, he even finished ninth in the Heisman Trophy voting. Downs posted 68 tackles, including five tackles for loss, and snagged a pair of interceptions. While Ohio State's promising season ended in poor fashion, Downs remains one of the top prospects in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Other Top DB Prospects

Among the other top defensive back prospects contemplated by Tice and McDonald is LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane. Delane is likely the top cornerback prospect in the Draft, with Downs projected to again play safety at the next level.

While most of the top prospects hail from major schools, there's almost always a mid-level sleeper in the mix. This year's sleeper is Toledo's Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. A three year starter for the Rockets, McNeil-Warren had 214 tackles and five interceptions in his Toledo career. McNeil-Warren is 6'3 1/2" and ran a 4.52 second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine.

But Downs remains the toast of the defensive back class and rightfully should expect to hear his name called early on Draft day.

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Joe Cox
JOE COX

Joe is a journalist and writer who covers college and professional sports. He has written or co-written over a dozen sports books, including several regional best sellers. His last book, A Fine Team Man, is about Jackie Robinson and the lives he changed. Joe has been a guest on MLB Network, the Paul Finebaum show and numerous other television and radio shows. He has been inside MLB dugouts, covered bowl games and conference tournaments with Saturday Down South and still loves telling the stories of sports past and present.

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