ESPN had an amusing problem with Cowboys' Caleb Downs draft pick
Dallas made a trade up to get Downs.
ESPN had an amusing problem with Cowboys' Caleb Downs draft pick originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The Dallas Cowboys saw Caleb Downs still on the board and knew what they had to do.
On Thursday night, they traded up one spot from 12 to 11 to draft the star safety out of Ohio State. For a defense in need of a makeover, Downs is a great first step. He began his college career at Alabama, where he was great, before joining the Buckeyes, where he was even greater.
Now, he brings that talent to Dallas. 2026 NFL DRAFT HQ: Live tracker | Pick-by-pick grades | Best players still available How good was this pick? Downs created an amusing problem for ESPN's Todd Archer, their Cowboys beat writer.
ESPN analyzed each pick of the first round by noting a "biggest question" for the selection. Archer wrote a blurb , but he really couldn't come up with anything much: "There have been rumblings of a knee condition in the lead-up to the draft, but he never sat out a game in college. He didn't do testing at the combine or at his pro day, so there is no 40-yard dash time, but on film, there isn't much question about his speed.