The 2026 NFL Draft is still far away, but with Week 1 of the 2025 college football season already in the books, it isn’t stopping the experts from putting out early mock drafts concerning the Las Vegas Raiders.
While it’s still a mystery as to what the needs will be for the Silver and Black after this season, CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson published his mock draft on September 1, and he has the Raiders bolstering their defense.
Over the weekend, the Ohio State Buckeyes kept Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning quiet. Moreover, Caleb Downs was part of that unit, and Wilson has Las Vegas selecting the safety seventh overall to help Maxx Crosby on the defensive side.
Downs could be a Troy Polamalu-level talent in the NFL,” Wilson wrote. “He’s only 5-foot-11, and he may not end up running a 4.35-second 40-yard dash, but I don’t care. Not even a little bit. Both Kyle Hamilton and Brian Branch slipped on draft day because of mediocre 40 times. They’re two of the best young defensive backs in football.”
What Would Caleb Downs Bring to the Raiders?
The Raiders would be keen on having a player of Downs’ level in the secondary wrecking havoc, whether it’s against the run or the passing game. Furthermore, Wilson noted what the Ohio State standout would bring to the table if Las Vegas were to select him.
“Downs is a run-game enforcer and has the sideline-to-sideline juice, coupled with the short-area burst, to excel in pass coverage,” Wilson wrote.
Last season, Downs played 16 games, making 82 tackles while recording two interceptions and six passes defended for the Buckeyes en route to winning the national title.
Caleb Downs Brings Impressive Mentality
In a January 19 article from The Athletic, Cameron Teague Robinson highlighted Downs’ reason for picking Ohio State when he transferred from the Alabama Crimson Tide after Nick Saban retired. Furthermore, his response shows that he’s mature when making challenging decisions.
“I came to Ohio State to become a better player and to help the team be as good as it can be, not to win a national title,” Downs said. “That wasn’t the only goal for me coming here. I wanted to be with the team and be with the brotherhood.”
According to Robinson’s piece, Downs loves everything about watching film—not just reviewing his own plays or mistakes, but learning more about football through the perspective of others.
“Really, it’s seeing how much I know about football and how much I still need to learn,” Downs said. “Seeing what offensive coordinators are trying to accomplish with their plays they are running, even learning from our defensive coordinator and seeing how sees the game and how he calls the game to stop plays. To me, that’s fun.”
It will be interesting to see if the Raiders miss the playoffs, and if they are, would they be in a position to select Downs? Fans will likely prefer Las Vegas reach the playoffs in Year 1 under Carroll, but adding a safety to build a secondary to help the Crosby-led defense wouldn’t be a bad consolation.
Raiders Predicted to Give Maxx Crosby Massive Support