The NFL draft is a mix of dreams and brutal reality for both fans and teams. For the Indianapolis Colts, they know which players are more likely to help them in the future than other prospects, but general manager Chris Ballard has to hope that some of those players fall in the 2026 NFL draft.
One of those could be Ohio State's Caleb Downs. In many mocks, he is projected to go in the top 10, but mocks aren't fact, but what people are predicting. Teams will pass on a player who might have a long-term injury issue and, therefore, won't be able to live up to their high-dollar contract.
For Downs, there was a rumor that he had a potentially degenerative ACL issue. If true, that would significantly reduce the length of his NFL career. To be fair, those rumors have been rebuffed by others, but the threat of a long-term damaged ACL could push Downs down draft boards.
Landing Caleb Downs would be shocking, but Indianapolis Colts fans can still dream about it
Will that definitely happen? No. But Ballard and Colts fans can dream, as Caleb Downs would instantly fix the issue Indy has at safety, and be an upgrade over anyone else Indianapolis could have had, even if the team had kept Nick Cross in free agency. Cross was good against the run, but not elite in pass coverage.
Downs is great at everything. In his last two years in college, he didn't give up a touchdown pass, but had four interceptions. His quarterback rating allowed in the pass two seasons did not surpass an extremely low 54.5. He also had at least 30 run stuffs in all three years at OSU. If he stays healthy, he is a transformative safety who would make the Indianapolis Colts defensive backs elite.
Imagine, if you will, Indy having five DBs on the field at any given time, and those DBs including cornerbacks Sauce Gardner, Charvarius Ward, and Kenny Moore II, while the safeties are Downs and Cam Bynum. That kind of talent makes an underwhelming pass rush better.
Chris Ballard would still have to work a little draft magic should Caleb Downs fall further in the draft than most expect. Waiting around to pick 47, the Colts' current first selection, would be a mistake. The GM would have to come up with some kind of trade offer for a team at least in the teens of the first round.
Is any of that likely to happen? Probably not, but nothing is guaranteed in the draft except that the Las Vegas Raiders are going to pick quarterback Fernando Mendoza at No. 1. Maybe Indianapolis gets Downs. It is at least a nice thought.