2026 NFL Draft: ESPN insider claims Dallas Cowboys have ‘no chance in bloody hell’ landing Caleb Downs at No. 12

Last week, ESPN NFL insider Peter Schrager released his first projection of how he expects the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft to play out based on conversations with league personnel. A week later, Schrager is ready to “tear it up” after receiving critical feedback from NFL teams.

Among his many ill-conceived projections was that Ohio State safety Caleb Downs would fall out of the Top 10 before being scooped up by the Dallas Cowboys with the 12th overall pick. Based on that feedback from NFL personnel, Schrager now believes Downs will be a Top 10 pick, if not earlier.

“I had him going 12 to the Cowboys, (but) I’ve been told by numerous teams that there is no chance in bloody hell that Caleb Downs will be around at 12 overall,” Schrager said during a Tuesday appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.

Downs, a former five-star recruit, has long been considered one of college football’s best defensive players since leading Alabama in tackles as a true freshman. After transferring to Ohio State following Nick Saban‘s 2024 retirement, Downs has been integral to the Buckeyes’ FBS-best defense the past two seasons. And he’s done it by contributing in multiple ways, tallying 150 total tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and 4 interceptions for Ohio State.

Former Buckeyes and Green Bay Packers great AJ Hawk, a regular PMS panelist, then followed up regarding speculation Downs’ draft stock could be hurt by the NFL’s general devaluing of the safety position. Once again, Schrager dismissed that point outright.

Ultimately, based on what Schrager has heard from NFL teams, Downs is one of just four “blue-chip” prospects in the entire draft that should allow him to exceed normal positional draft standards. In fact, Downs is part of a select group that includes Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the projected No. 1 overall pick to the Las Vegas Raiders, as well as Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love and Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles, neither of which is expected to fall outside the Top 10.

“If you’re a team in the Top 10, do you reach for an offensive lineman, do you reach for a wide receiver, do you reach for a corner?” Schrager added. “Or do you hit it on the fairway and say, ‘You know, what? We wake up on Friday morning, we we’ve got Caleb Downs, we (add) an outstanding football player to our team and we’re way better than we were yesterday if we take this guy’” in the Top 10.

Clearly Schrager – and the NFL teams he’s spoken to – believe Downs is worthy of a Top 10 selection, And if the Cowboys have any hope of drafting him, they’ll have to trade up from 12 overall to do so.