NFL prospect Caleb Downs, a safety who started his college career at Alabama before transferring to Ohio State in 2024, tackles some pre-draft Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby.
Q: What would your career NFL goal be?
A: I feel like I have the ability and the mindset to be an all-time great.
Q: Do you think about the Hall of Fame?
A: I think about being my best self every game, and if I do that I feel like I have a chance to be great.
Q: How important is it for you to achieve greatness?
A: That’s one of the most critical things for me. I mean … who wants to just be average, honestly? If you’re not trying to achieve greatness in whatever field you’re in, I don’t understand the goal.
Q: If I were an NFL team or GM, tell me why I should draft Caleb Downs.
A: You’re getting a playmaker, you’re getting somebody to make an impact on your team, and on the field and off the field a great person to be in the community. Somebody to make an immediate impact on your defense, making plays wherever you put him at. Wherever you believe the ball’s going on defense, that’s the play that he’s gonna make.
A: I would just say my knack for the game. I feel like the instincts God has given can’t really be replaced, and I can’t really take credit for that, honestly. He’s given me the ability to have a feeling for the game, and then know where the ball’s gonna be, and to know the plays that I have made to feel confident in making them.
Q: How would you describe your on-field mentality?
A: I would just say a leader, honestly. Somebody that’s looking to be a leader on the team, somebody that’s looking to win every game, and try to push my team to win every game. But every time I step on the field I’m trying to make plays, I’m trying to impact the game, that’s what I try to do every time I step on the field.
Q: What are your thoughts on positional value?
A: I think it’s who affects the game. If your safety’s affecting the game, if your corner’s affecting the game, that’s who you’re trying to push the ball to, that’s who you’re trusting to make the plays. And I feel like I do that at a high level, and if you give me an opportunity to make plays that’s what I’m gonna do.
Q: Do you have a favorite spot in the secondary?
Q: How much do you enjoy blitzing?
A: I love it (laugh). I mean, who doesn’t love having a chance to go get a sack?
Q: What makes you an effective blitzer?
A: Being able to read the snap count, being able to jump that and then also having a chance to beat the back and do everything like that, one-on-one.
A: I feel like I’m blessed to play. God has blessed me with a lot of talent, a lot of ability, and who would I be not to use the ability He’s given me?
Q: What is the biggest obstacle you’ve had to overcome?
A: Any perfectionist, anybody that wants to succeed at a high level in everything they do, expectations are always gonna be the thing that they have to deal with. So for me it’s dealing with the expectation of trying to be the best, trying to push myself to be great … being hard on myself and setting a higher standard than anybody could ever set for me in myself.
Q: You’re known as a great leader. What won’t you tolerate from a teammate?
A: Just a lack of meeting a standard. There’s a standard that the team has set, and we’ve agreed on, and you failing to meet it. That had to be spoken and that has to be said. That has to be corrected.
A: It’s not just being a leader but it’s just having the respect of your teammates, then having the respect of the people that you’re around. I feel like if you have the respect of everybody that you’re around and you’ve grown in that and have a relationship with everybody, yeah I feel like I can.
Q: What is the best example of your toughness?
A: I feel like everybody has an example of that, with just playing through anything you’re going through that week, honestly. … Playing through injuries that may pop up during the season, playing through the nicks and bruises. That’s what I do, and not make any excuses about it and just go out and play the game. At the end of the day, once you step on the field, it’s about making plays, it’s not about what’s happened before, what injuries you have, it’s just about making plays.
Q: Best example of your will to win?
A: I would just say my freshman year. … It’s really rare for somebody to go into Alabama and start on that defense their freshman year with Coach [Nick] Saban’s defense. A lot of people who were around me didn’t really think that was something that was applicable or something that could happen. But for me that was just what I wanted to do, and it really didn’t matter about what anybody else thought, it was about me making the choices that would lead me to make an impact on the field whenever I had a chance to. So that was the most important thing for me is just having the will to do what I needed to do to put myself on the field.
A: The definition of consistency. Just not getting bored with the details. He’s the most consistent person I know, and being around him for that year was such a positive for my life just getting to learn from somebody that achieved at the best levels.
Q: Was there ever a time you were not prepared for a game?
A: I would say everybody has plays that they say like, “Yeah I could have prepared better for that play.” But for an entire game, no.
Q: How much film study per night do you put in during the week?
A: It’s just throughout the day, honestly. So like I would come in and watch film in the morning at the facility, and then would come in before practice again and watch more film, then watch the film after practice and then watch like two or three games. Between that whether I’m going to class, whether I’m doing some treatment, just watch film whenever you have time to do it, and that’s pretty much continuously throughout the day.
Q: Some great safeties over the years: Ed Reed.
A: Extremely efficient player, made a lot of plays in the post in the deep part of the field. One of the most profound safeties with a knack for the football. Could get the football at any point in the season and made a lot of plays.
A: Probably the most instinctual safety in terms of just making plays everywhere on the field — in the box, in the lower part of the zones, in the deeper part of the zones. Being able to do it all as a safety, and then just playing free, just played with reckless abandon and no care in the world.
Q: Do you think you’re similar to one more than the other?
A: I feel like I’m a true three-way player in terms of making plays at every facet. I feel like Troy in terms of being instinctual and making plays at all levels of the field.
A: I feel like he’s one of the most instinctual DBs ever, not just safeties — being able to play corner, being able to play nickel, and then transfer to safety later in his years in the league, and to be able to do it as long as he did. When I met him after we played Michigan this year, that was one of the highlights of my year just meeting him and showing the respect that I did to him.
A: He’s a menacing force, posed a lot of fear to the offense. He also played corner and then transformed into a safety, so that showed a lot of his athleticism and abilities on the field. I feel like he was a true leader of his team as well … being able to lead his team and create that fear that is needed on a defense, from that mentality that’s needed, I feel like he did that at a high level, and then also made a lot of plays on the ball in the tackling game whether that was in the box or in the open field, he did that at the highest level.
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Q: How did you know he transferred from corner?
A: I’ve tried to study the greats as much as possible.
Q: How long have you been studying the greats?
A: Very spiritual leader. He led with his emotions, led with his spirit. I respect that a lot ’cause that’s how I would want to be as a player. Played with so much passion and energy for the game and you can see the love of the game that he has from how he walks and the emotion that he plays with.
A: Freak of nature (laugh). The size that he has, the ability to play multiple positions, that’s really special and it’s not been seen anytime recently. He set the precedent for a lot of guys that are coming after.
Q: Some have compared you to Budda Baker.
A: Reckless abandon just like Troy. Able to put his foot in the ground and go make a play. Play with no care in the world, just playing fast. Even with I trained with him one time, it was how fast he trains, how violent he did everything. I respected that a lot, and you could see it in his game and how hard he plays, and how relentless he plays.
Q: Some of your Ohio State teammates: Arvell Reese.
A: He plays with violent hands, violent intent every play. I feel like you can see it in his film how violent he is, and that’s a part of defense, so I feel like he did that at a high level.
Q: Could he be a double-digit sacker?
A: Only time will tell, but I think he definitely has the ability and the talent of do it.
A: Freak athlete, just like Arvell. Plays with a lot of violence. Is able to see the game and communicate the game at a high level as well as be able to run your defense. True Mike linebacker with the ability to rush and the ability to add into your rush as much as you want him to. Also very versatile in your zones and wherever you want him to be.
A: He was huge for us this year being strong in the middle … not just take on blocks but be able to shed blocks and make plays.
A: Smooth, silky route runner. Very calm in what he does, and he’s also a very physical blocker on the edge as well, that added a lot for us on our offense. Being able to watch him block this year and take on some of the dirty work, it was awesome to see, but also when the ball’s in the air he’s a playmaker.
A: Freak Frank athlete. Freak of nature (laugh). But he also matches it with the mindset and the work ethic to be an all-time great.
Q: What would you tell GMs next year about QB Julian Sayin?
A: Be able to run your offense, great leader. He’s himself, he’s not trying to be anybody that he’s not. He has a really quick release, really good arm, and then he’s able to see the game at a high level to where he’s anticipating and not reacting.
A: Great person, cares a lot about his players off the field and on the field. I can’t say enough about him honestly.
A: Very good route runner with routes like a receiver. Ability to be your extra receiver when you need him to be but also block at a high level as well.
Q: You would hammer your brother Josh over the middle when you get to play against him?
A: At that point, if he’s on the other side of the field, he’s just another player, so he’d have to get it.
Q: Do you hope to return punts in the pros?
A: If the opportunity comes about, it’d be awesome.
Q: What do you like about returning punts?
A: Just the ability to have the ball in my hands, the ability to run it. I feel like whenever I have the ball in my hands that’s something special, and I usually do good things with it.
Q: Do you miss your running back days?
A: Everybody misses the days where they had the ball in their hands (laugh).
Q: What are your initial impressions of John Harbaugh?
A: He’s a legend, honestly. Great to talk to, great person to learn from, so excited to see where that relationship goes.
Q: What would it be like playing on the New York stage?
A: It would just be the same thing as I’ve been doing. I played at two premier programs with college football. It’ll be another step for me to play at a high level and be able to push myself in terms of being my best self.
Q: What do you know about the tradition of the Giants?
A: I know about the old defense with Michael Strahan and then Lawrence Taylor, a lot of the greats that have played there.
Q: If you could cover any tight end in NFL history, who would it be?
A: That’s a good question. Just ’cause I’m from Atlanta, I would say Tony Gonzalez.
Q: If you could intercept any quarterback in NFL history?
Q: If you could tackle any running back in NFL history in the open field?
A: I feel like the most difficult person to tackle in the open field would be Barry Sanders. That would be a challenge.
Q: Describe the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry.
A: It’s the game, but at the end of the day you have to play like another game and just a regular game, because whenever you try too much into one game, it ends up turning into being too much and it doesn’t allow you to play as free as you need to be. But that game is everything to the people from Ohio State, and everything for the fans and everything like that. Whoever wins that has bragging rights for fur the next year, so finally got on the right side of that (laugh), so I’m very proud of that.
Q: The game you lost to them in 2024 you had 11 tackles.
A: I feel like every time I played against ’em I played a really good game. My freshman year at Alabama I played a really good game.
A: If you actually look at stats of me playing against the best competition, I feel like my stats get better based off of that.
Q: Describe the emotion of winning the 2024 national championship.
A: A really special feeling knowing that I did it with a group of guys that I’ve been around that whole year and grew in relationships with and that nobody will be able to take that from us for the rest of our lives pretty much.
Q: Best advice your father, former Giants RB Gary Downs, gave you about football and about life.
A: About life, I would just say instilling faith in me. Just being able to be a man of faith and everything that means in our family and everything that I would want to stand for. In football, the hard work and consistency that he instilled in me and my brother.
A: Competition. Being able to learn … there’s always more to learn about the team that you’re playing and more to learn about just the game. … And then just the consistency that it requires of you, so pushing myself to be better at the little things every day. I feel like that’s what makes the biggest impact.
A: To create a process for myself to get myself to succeed every game.
