Tyrann Mathieu: Caleb Downs is a safe pick for Saints in the NFL draft
Tyrann Mathieu says Ohio State safety Caleb Downs fits the Saints in the NFL draft: 'I know we're going to be able to count on him for 10 years.'
Few players have been linked to the New Orleans Saints in as many mock drafts for as long as Caleb Downs. The former Ohio State Buckeyes safety has popped up in mock drafts for most of the last year, not just when we didn't have much feel for the 2026 NFL Draft class, but when the Saints were picking top-three, too. Now they're slotted at No.
8. Downs is a popular choice to go top-10. There's a hole in Brandon Staley's secondary, but is Downs the right guy to erase it?
NewOrleans. Football's Nick Underhill sat down with In the Bayou With Tyrann Mathieu to share his take, but we got an interesting perspective from Mathieu himself. He argued that Downs, as an every-down defender, offers just as much to the Saints as last year's first-round pick Kelvin Banks Jr.
“I look at him how GM's would look at offensive tackles, like, 'when I draft this kid, I know we’re going to be able to count on him for 10 years,'" Mathieu said. "He's not, like, splashy. He's going to make some great plays, you know.