"We didn't know it was going to be quarterback-of-the-defense nickel. And that's what you've got here."Handing over the keys of the Cowboys defense to a young man who only turned 21 in December is heady stuff. Asking him to engineer a turnaround that propels the entire franchise back to the postseason is an even taller ask.But that's how highly the whole Cowboys brain trust thinks of Downs."He was a prize for us, sitting there."Enough of a prize to hand over a pair of fifth-round picks to Miami just to jump up one spot in line to get him."I was just thinking of the times that we've been the next pick and had somebody move up and get [the player we wanted]," Jones shared in the press conference to end the first day of the draft, "and we had every reason to think that might be happening.""Caleb, you're a cowboy!" 🤠@calebdowns | @ATTpic.twitter.com/p5cECrFzf1— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) April 24, 2026According to Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones, that Downs fell out of the top 10 was a surprise."We thought it was a long shot that he would drop to there."With Dallas worried that another team would sneak up to No. 11 to get him, the phone lines starting burning in a flurry of activity that head coach Brian Schottenheimer described as "very surgical."The Joneses, it turns out, knew just how much Schottenheimer coveted Downs.Jerry had asked Schottenehimer earlier in the week to make a list of the players that he would be "sick to your stomach that we didn't get," Jones explained.

Downs was one of four names written on that piece of paper.But others on the Cowboys coaching staff had also been planting seeds, with newly-hired defensive coordinator Christian Parker apparently doing an end-around on vice president of player personnel Will McClay and sending daily pictures of Downs, in a subliminal attempt to manifest the pick.And now the player described by many as the smartest prospect in this year's draft class is a Cowboy."It gives you flexibility," Schottenehimer said of Downs. "You're going to have moving pieces: how we want to play the safeties and do different things.

And we feel like the one thing we know for sure is that Caleb will be down in the box and he'll be lurking and he'll be blitzing and he'll be filling B- and C-gaps. He's one of those tools. When you gameplan for a guy like that, you have to be aware of where he is because he can do so many things well.

He can blitz well. He can fill the run well. He can cover really well."Schotty on what Downs brings to the defense 🎙️#CowboysDraft | @MillerLitepic.twitter.com/i85QATUEL7— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) April 24, 2026Downs may be listed in the gameday program as a safety, but he'll be handling multiple roles."Tons of versatility in terms of what he can do for us on the defensive side of the ball," Stephen Jones concurred, "whether it's playing in the nickel, being a corner, whether it's playing safety."Schottenheimer acknowledged that Downs likely won't wear the green dot as the defensive signal-caller; a linebacker will likely take that job.

But, per the coach, "the nickel is going to make a ton of calls. He's going to drive the communication."For that particular responsibility, it takes a special leadership quality. Everyone already agrees that Downs has that by the truckload.It's something they saw first-hand when they hosted Downs as part of a larger group of prospects at the team facility, all part of the extensive pre-draft interview process."When you bring in eight to 10 guys, you kind of figure out who they follow," Schottenheimer said.

"And it was very evident that Caleb's got that personality, that demeanor, that the guys gravitate to him. Talking about other players: other elite players around the country."They're not the only ones. Former Alabama coach Nick Saban routinely raves about Downs from his one year with the Crimson Tide, calling him- even as a freshman in 2023- one of the most impressive players he's ever been around."When you hear Coach Saban and people talk about how smart he is," McClay explained, "He's a multiplier.

He's going to make other people better."Downs is a difference maker 😤#CowboysDraft | @MillerLitepic.twitter.com/KID1omhTtV— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) April 24, 2026"It's his control and his command of the defense," Schottenheimer said. "This guy drove the defense at Ohio State. He made all the calls, made all the checks. And it was really, real