While many will need to see it to believe, there’s a chance that Ohio State safety Caleb Downs tumbles on draft night, so much so that he could be in play for the Minnesota Vikings.
Minnesota could have an unexpected shot at the draft’s top safety.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein recently posted a mock draft with Downs slipping to No. 16 for the New York Jets, and if that’s even remotely accurate, Minnesota could indeed be in play for the stud rookie.
Downs Would Instantly Change the Vikings’ Safety Outlook
He would give the Vikings a chance to make up for passing on Kyle Hamilton four years ago.
Downs at … No. 16?
Zierlein posted a new mock draft on Tuesday, with Downs sliding all the way to the New York Jets. He explained, “Downs’ slide stops with the Jets, who should be overjoyed to add a culture player offering a tremendous competitive nature and the ability to play strong safety and some nickel.”
Last month, Daft of Draft’s Cory Kinnan wrote about Downs, “Ending on a bummer here, I was told by an NFC scout that Ohio State all-class safety Caleb Downs had a couple of issues flagged during his medical check. Nobody expected him to test this week anyway, so it flew a bit under the radar. However, I was told that Downs was flagged with a partially torn meniscus this week.”
“That is not a serious concern, but also being flagged with a potentially degenerative ACL is. Now, this is not to signify any sort of significant drop for Downs, who likely will return and get a second opinion and a second check. Besides, plenty of NFL players have been flagged with degenerative knees before, but have gone on to have successful NFL careers.”
Kinnan has since deleted the article altogether, but that appears to be the spot where the Downs injury rumors began, thus cratering his draft stock in the court of public opinion.
The Vikings’ Need for a Safety
As of April 1, Harrison Smith is a free agent. His decision to either return for a 15th season or retire carries significant weight for the Vikings, impacting both their upcoming season and long-term strategy.
Regardless of Smith’s choice, the Vikings must address their need for a long-term solution at safety.
Josh Metellus’s performance suffered last season due to injury, and Theo Jackson was benched in December in favor of Jay Ward. While Ward showed flashes of potential, he is approaching the end of his rookie contract.
While improvement is possible — Ward could develop further, and a healthy Metellus could rebound — relying solely on these scenarios requires precise and timely player development.
Ultimately, while Smith’s decision is immediately relevant, a more fundamental issue persists: the Vikings need a dependable, elite safety to build their defense around, a certainty that their current options do not provide. That could be Downs. Unquestionably.
Downs’s Scouting Report
The draft hype surrounding Downs is immense, with some already drawing comparisons to Troy Polamalu and Ed Reed, and he possesses the talent to justify such praise. At 6’0″ and 205 pounds, Downs consistently displays the range, physicality, and ball skills that define the modern safety.
He covers ground quickly, embraces contact, and demonstrates a knack for finding the ball. While already considered the top safety in his class, some argue he’s the best defensive back overall, possessing the versatility to impact the defense from multiple positions.
Downs’s potential is clear: he’s a young, exceptionally skilled defender with a proven track record and the presence to anchor a secondary for years to come.
Zierlein on Downs‘ scouting report: “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. While he’s quick to close and strike underneath, there are hints of caution that prevent him from making more plays on the football. Downs isn’t the biggest, fastest or most versatile player, but he consistently puts his stamp on games.”
One of the Best Players in the Draft
Behind Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love — many Vikings fans would love him on the purple roster, perhaps even more than Downs — ESPN calls Downs the second-best player in the upcoming class. After Downs, it’s Miami linebacker Arvel Reese and Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
When it’s all said and done on April 23rd, Downs will probably fly off the board in the Top 10 or Top 12 selections, with teams coming to their sense and ignoring the perhaps unfounded injury fears.
But if they do not, Downs is the Vikings’ one big chance to hit a home run in the draft. In fact, heading into the 2022 NFL Draft, it didn’t seem possible that the aforementioned Hamilton would make it out of the Top 10. But he did. And he plays safety like Downs.
Even if the Vikings were forced to draft a 2026 or 2027 mid-round pick to move up a few spots for Downs, it would probably be worth it.
