Caleb Downs Shares Emotional Moment With Brother After Cowboys Draft Pick

The Dallas Cowboys officially made two picks in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh on Thursday.

Dallas made a pair of trades before making each of its selections, trading up with the Miami Dolphins to No. 11 overall for Ohio State safety Caleb Downs before trading down with the Philadelphia Eagles to No. 23 for UCF edge rusher Malachi Lawrence.

But while both players are set to change the future of the defense, it's the addition of Downs that is receiving more attention due to a some obvious reasons. Downs is the younger brother of Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs, a headline that will write itself next season when the two of them will play each other.

Though they will eventually be opponents next season at Lucas Oil Stadium with the Colts host the Cowboys, the Downs brothers shared an emotional moment in the green room after Dallas' made the pick.

Caleb Downs, Josh Down Emotional After Cowboys Pick

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs reacts after a play against the Las Vegas Raiders during the first quarter at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Based on the way Josh Downs was reacting one his brother got the news, you would have thought he was a Cowboys fan in disguise.

"Cowboys, baby! Cowboys, baby!" Downs says in the video. "Let's go! Come on!"

It was clearly an emotional moment for Caleb, who was bent over in tears while receiving the warm celebration with his family.

POV: Your brother just got drafted by the Dallas Cowboys.

(via: Josh Downs) | @WinStarWorld pic.twitter.com/s7sN13yQEg
— DLLS Cowboys (@DLLS_Cowboys) April 24, 2026

Josh even spoke with ESPN shortly after the pick was made. He started to get choked up and shed a few tears while talking about his younger brother, previewing the matchup between the two next season.

"Could have been the fifth pick, could have been the first pick," Josh Downs said. "He is the best player in the draft. ... I'm emotional because he's always been the best player on the field, but I'm excited and I play him this year, so we get to run it back from high school. Let's do it."

"Could have been the fifth pick, could have been the first pick, [Caleb Downs] is the best player in the draft." ⭐️

Colts WR Josh Downs feels all the emotions watching his little brother Caleb Downs get drafted to the Dallas Cowboys ❤️ pic.twitter.com/HEUNGOcSvC
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 24, 2026

While there have been a number of notable sibling duos in the NFL over the years, the new Downs paring will certainly be drawing attention from fans next season and beyond.

Downs was one of the more popular defensive players in college football over the past three seasons. Meanwhile, his older brother was carving out a solid start to his NFL career with the Colts.

Josh Downs has tallied 198 catches for 2,140 yards and 11 touchdowns in that span, but he will have to put those numbers to the test against his rookie brother next season.

—Sign up for the Cowboys Daily Digest newsletter for more free coverage from Dallas Cowboys on SI—

Add us as a preferred source on Google