The Buckeye hopefuls will take the field in Columbus on March 25th hoping to wow NFL teams.
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.
“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 , Arvell , Lorenzo , 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."“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 . 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.”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 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.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.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. “ 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.” "It's not really 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."RAFAEL ZAMORANOAlbert Breer’s Takeaways: Heeding the Lessons of the Lions’ 2023 Draft Class
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