Scouting Journals for Caleb Downs

Extremely well-rounded safety who has been one of the top prospects in Georgia regardless of class for much of his high school career. Arguably the top high school football player in the nation as a senior. Shows a complete skill set as a cover safety. Has the range to cover hash to boundary with ease. Also is fluid and natural in man coverage. Outstanding ball production with 19 interceptions over his high school career. Instinctual both in coverage and as a cover down defender. Identifies run plays and underneath passes very quickly. An active tackler and highly instinctual, physical run defender. Shows of his athleticism on offense where he sees snaps at multiple skill positions, including quarterback. Employed as a short-yardage runner as a senior, accounting for 25 touchdowns. Has starred while playing against top competition in the Peach State and led his team to a state title in the highest classification as a senior. Comes from strong bloodlines with a father who was an NFL Draft pick and brother who is one of the better receivers in college football.

Alabama safety signee Caleb Downs (No. 8) rounds out the group of five-stars with 99 ratings. Downs has a complete skill set at the position and was arguably the top high school football player in the country this fall. He is a playmaker on both sides of the ball, scoring 25 touchdowns to go with 19 career interceptions. Downs’ instincts, cover ability and physicality in run support make him a prime candidate to be an impact freshman at Alabama.

Caleb Downs lived up to his billing as the top safety prospect in the cycle. The 5-foot-11, 195-pounder was rock solid in coverage during practices, showing the ability to stick with receivers, running backs and tight ends. To be honest, he was one of the more reliable cover men on hand, regardless of position. We didn’t see Downs tested a ton in practice, but he made plays on the ball at a very high rate. As expected, Downs also made a number of plays in Saturday’s game. He came down with an easy interception, picking off Louisville quarterback signee Pierce Clarkson. Later Downs flashed his well-known physicality as a run defender and even ran in a two-point conversion at the end of the game. The Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek star’s reputation as perhaps the best all-around high school football player in the nation carried over to the All-American Bowl.

Five-star safety Caleb Downs willed his Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek team to a 44-41 win over a talented Marietta (Ga.) Walton team in his senior season opener. Downs rarely left the field and made some huge plays. On offense, he lined up at running back, receiver and direct snaps in short yardage situations, finishing with 151 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. The first score came on a 46-yard run up the middle. Downs was equally, if not more impactful on defense. He set up his short scoring run with an interception and made a number of strong open field tackles. His most impressive play came in a critical situation late in the fourth quarter. Walton took a deep shot on 3rd and 19 that if converted, would likely end the game. Downs was lined up in center field and quickly identified the route, racing to the boundary to break up the pass. The play showed off the touted safety’s high-level instincts and range in coverage.

Caleb Downs entered the event as the top-rated prospect. Simply put, Downs lived up to his five-star status. The 5-foot-11, 190-pounder was an effortless mover in defensive back drills. He is very smooth in coverage drills and showed off the best backpedal of all the defensive backs we watched – particularly impressive considering Downs is a safety prospect when compared to top corners. Downs is well-built with a developed lower body and also showed natural ball skills. He would’ve been in the running for On3 MVP, but we did not catch him taking 1-on-1 reps.