Caleb Downs #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes could be available in the NFL draft for the Cleveland Browns.
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Caleb Downs #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes could be available in the NFL draft for the Cleveland Browns.
If you watched any Cleveland Browns football in 2025–even just a few quarters–then you pretty much saw the lay of the land. This team has one of the best defenses in the NFL, highlighted by what might be the best defensive player in the history of the game, Myles Garrett. Alas, they have the worst offense in the NFL, one that was historically bad in 2025. Cleveland’s Pro Football Focus offensive grade was 55.6, the worst by any team in the two decades PFF has been giving grades.
It’s pretty clear, then, what the Browns’ mission should be as they approach the 10 draft picks they will have on hand next month. Cleveland should be taking offensive players, early (they have two first-rounders, No. 6 overall and No. 24 overall) and often. The draft is pretty well-stocked with offensive linemen and wide receivers, and the Browns are desperate for both.
Except there will be a temptation, a star player who has been performing just down the road in Columbus, a guy who is rated No. 3 in this draft class by PFF but who probably still will be hanging on the board at No. 6: Caleb Downs, the Ohio State safety.
Browns Need to Keep Focus on Offense in NFL Draft
Downs was outstanding in 2025, when he earned his second All-America selection and was the Big Ten’s defensive player of the year. He is a heady, high-risk, high-reward playmaker.
And the Browns should absolutely stay away from him. Yes, the Browns have vowed to take a “BPA” approach to their draft board, and if Downs is there at No. 6, he will be the best player available. Some considering him the best player in the draft. But the folks at Cleveland.com are warning the Browns to steer clear.
Analyst Tim Bielik calls Downs, ” this year’s best prospect” and “the best player” in the 2026 draft, but says the Browns need to leave their already stacked defense off the table.
He writes: “You win in the NFL with talent, and the Browns simply don’t have enough on offense. It also makes it hard to truly evaluate any quarterback including Shedeur Sanders, and the Browns need to figure out if he can be something before they decide if they need to be a player in the 2027 quarterback class.
“Caleb Downs is awfully tempting to take if he’s available, and he may make the Browns a complete defense. However, that complete defense still can’t overcome the anchor that has been the Browns offense the last two seasons.”
Caleb Downs Could Be an Exception
But, man, adding Downs will be a temptation for the Browns. They’ve got a hard-hitting and well-regarded secondary to go with Garrett and the tough front seven, with safeties Ronnie Hickman Jr. and Grant Delpit already in place. But Downs would give them a huge playmaking asset to throw into the mix.
NFL.com’s scouting report on Downs: “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.”
He’d be fun to watch on this Browns defense. But with how hard to watch the Browns offense is, Downs is likely a luxury Cleveland can’t afford.