Why Drafting Safety Caleb Downs Breaks the Rules But Fixes the Defense

The Washington Commanders already drafted one defensive back considered to be the best player in his class, so why not add another by taking Ohio State Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs?

We’re still relatively early in the pre-draft process, but I’ve already heard multiple prominent evaluators call Downs arguably the best player in the draft this year, and he just so happens to fit a need the Commanders have to fill this offseason.

"Arguably the best one"

We can add ESPN’s Jordan Reid to that list of names now as well, as he recently went on air to discuss some of his best fits for teams like Washington, pairing the club with Downs as early as pick No. 7 in April’s selection meeting.

“The next match that I’m going to go to is out in Washington with Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, who I think is one of the best players in this year's draft class,” Reid says. “You’re going to hear positional value a lot with him, but if we’re stacking the talent in this year's draft, Caleb Downs arguably is the best one in this year's class.

“And a big problem that Washington had last year was explosive plays given up in the secondary. So Caleb Downs would go a long way to improving Daronte Jones's secondary.”

The positional value Reid is referring to is that he’s a safety. When general manager Adam Peters selected the player most felt was the single best player at his position in the 2024 draft, nickelback Mike Sainristil, he got him in the second round.

If Sainristil was the undisputed best in his class at quarterback, receiver, offensive tackle, or any other number of positions, he would have gone in the first round. Downs is in that same boat, though he’ll still come off the board on Day 1; he may have to wait longer than the ‘best player in the draft’ should have to, because he plays safety.

Dec 31, 2025; Arlington, TX, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs (2) gets into position during the 2025 Cotton Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

An "alpha" scouting report

But someone is going to make him a first-round pick in 2026. If it’s Washington, then Jones will be adding a player who NFL.com’s Lance Zierelein describes as a “productive, high-effort safety with three years of starting experience in big games at Alabama and Ohio State. Downs is an alpha who brings immense juice on each snap. He’s at his best when deployed near the line as a box safety or big nickel back. He’ll gamble a little bit as a run defender, but he makes more than enough disruptive plays near the line of scrimmage to make up for it. He’s fluent in man or zone over the first two levels and is rarely fooled by play-action or misdirection. While he’s quick to close and strike underneath, there are hints of caution that prevent him from making more plays on the football. Downs isn’t the biggest, fastest or most versatile player, but he consistently puts his stamp on games.”

Defying draft history

The last safety drafted in the top 10 was Jamal Adams, who was taken sixth overall by the New York Jets. In fact, only eight times in the 25 NFL Drafts we’ve witnessed this century has a safety gone in the top 10.

If Peters and the Commanders believe Downs is everything Reid, Zierlein, and so many believe him to be, then he might become No. 9.

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