Two-time All-American Ohio State safety Caleb Downs led the Buckeyes to a national championship in 2024. And on Thursday night, John Harbaugh and the Giants might tab him to be the new leader on the back of New York’s defense.
“You’re getting somebody to come in and be a change agent,” Downs, 21, said this week. “To make an impact on the field, off the field, in your community, in your building. And then probably the best ball player on the field. That’s what you’re getting.”
The Giants’ secondary and offensive line stand out as the position groups Harbaugh is most likely to address with his two top ten picks in Thursday night’s first round at Nos. 5 and 10 overall. The wild card is an offensive weapon.
Downs, LSU corner Mansoor Delane and Penn State offensive guard Olaivavega Ioane all play positions Harbaugh values highly and needs badly on the rebuilding roster he inherited. Or he could tab the more versatile Utah tackle Spencer Fano if he goes O-line, although Ioane is more the mauler the Giants’ head coach typically prefers.
If he takes a skill player, it could be Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love or a wide receiver like USC’s Makai Lemon to bolster Jaxson Dart’s offense in year two with Malik Nabers’ status unclear. That will depend on how the board falls ahead of New York’s first pick.
Downs plays a safety position that Harbaugh values more than most, though, having won a Super Bowl with Hall of Famer Ed Reed policing the back end. Downs is a consistent playmaker. And he can play all over the field.
He logged 146 snaps at three different positions in Matt Patricia’s Ohio State defense last season: 146 snaps each in the box, at deep safety and in the slot, according to ESPN’s NFL Matchup Show.
“If there is an offensive tackle they love, they should take him,” one league source said, noting the Giants’ need to continue reinforcing the front five protecting Dart. “If not, Downs’ speed and flexibility in and out of the box brings the most value to the team at five. At worst he’s a good linebacker, but if he’s a good safety in the league, you can play him all over the place.”
A separate source said the Giants adding to their secondary seems likely because Harbaugh especially believes a top safety “sets the defense.”
“He sees the defense from the back end forward, used to be a defensive backs coach,” the source said. “He wants to make sure his defenses are secure on the back end to allow aggressive play up front.”
Scouts make clear that Downs, at 5-11, 208 pounds, “is not Kyle Hamilton,” as one put it. The Baltimore Ravens’ No. 14 overall pick under Harbaugh in 2022 is 6-4, 218 pounds. The Seattle Seahawks’ Nick Emmanwori, one of the breakout stars of last season’s playoffs, is also a rangy 6-3, 220 pounds.
But Downs is hardnosed, physical, intelligent, instinctive, relentless — all of the qualities Harbaugh wants on this team.
“Caleb Downs made more plays in college than anybody in the draft,” former Alabama head coach Nick Saban, who coached Downs for a year with the Crimson Tide, said Wednesday. “He’s so instinctive, has really good ability. He’s a fast reactor. He can play in the deep part of the field, but when he’s in the deep part of the field and he comes downhill, he’s gonna bust your a–.”
Picking Downs would keep this draft in the family for the Giants. He is the son of Giants 1994 third round pick running back Gary Downs. Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs is his brother.
Linebacker Sonny Styles, Downs’ Ohio State teammate, has also been rumored in recent weeks as a potential Giants target with one of their two picks. But sources believe the Giants would choose Downs over Styles because of how many more options a versatile and impactful safety gives Harbaugh’s defense.
If he thought Styles were the next Ray Lewis, that would be a different story.
Regardless, Thursday night will be an exciting one for the Giants, not just because it’s Harbaugh’s first NFL Draft with the team.
They hold two picks in the top 10 for the second time in five years thanks to last week’s trade of Dexter Lawrence straight up to the Cincinnati Bengals for the No. 10 overall selection.
So Harbaugh could pick two starters on Thursday at those spots, or he could try to trade back at least once to acquire more picks in later rounds and still add a pair of first rounders to his team.
The Ravens, Harbaugh’s former employer, philosophically are always trying to acquire as many draft picks as possible to take more swings at the plate.