Does Caleb Downs have a knee injury? Ohio State safety refutes rumor ahead of NFL draft
Does Caleb Downs have a knee injury? Ohio State safety refutes rumor ahead of NFL draft
Kevin Skiver, USA TODAY NETWORKThu, April 23, 2026 at 10:07 AM UTC
0
Does Caleb Downs have a knee injury? Ohio State safety refutes rumor ahead of NFL draft
Caleb Downs doesn't play a premium position and he's entering the NFL draft with a possible knee injury. But he's so good it might not even matter.
The former Ohio State safety by way of Alabama is projected as a fringe top-10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh. Downs, who didn't miss any time with the Crimson Tide or the Buckeyes due to knee issues, has been flagged as having a partially torn meniscus and a degenerative ACL.
REQUIRED READING: NFL mock draft: 5 scenarios for top 10 picks after Giants big-ticket trade
Those claims, however, have been largely unsubstantiated, with Downs himself seeming confused by the source.
"Nothing," Downs told media in March when the injury was initially reported. "I mean, really, they already answered it. Pat McAfee put out a statement about it. That’s not what my medical says, so it is what it is. I don’t really know who gave him that information, whoever that dude is. But it is what it is. I’m just gonna continue to do me. I can’t control what people say."
Advertisement
NFL teams, of course, are borderline surveillance investigators when it comes to finding out issues pre-draft. So if the claims are fabricated, it's likely to have no effect on his stock. As it stands, Downs is still perceived as a high-first round pick, so no one seems too spooked by the so-called injury just yet.
1 / 0Ranking top 25 prospects for 2026 NFL Draft -
Arvell Reese, LB/DE, Ohio StateOn a defense already dotted with stars, Reese rose from an occasional contributor to a bona fide star in his first full season as a starter. The 6-4, 241-pound linebacker exhibited uncommon fluidity for a player of his size, finding equal comfort dropping back in coverage as bullying his way into the backfield. His pass-rush plan is still rather rudimentary at the moment, but he has the toolkit of a double-digit sack artist. In a league where defenses are constantly taxed against the pass and run, Reese displays a unique aptitude for detonating whatever play an offense might throw at him.
Does Caleb Downs have a knee injury?
Despite claims Downs has a partially torn meniscus and a potentially degenerative ACL, there is no evidence to support he is actually hurt.
Downs has downplayed the reports of a knee condition, and his draft stock largely has not been impacted. However, more information on his medicals may become available after he's drafted.
Caleb Downs mock draft
USA TODAY Sports' Jacob Camenker has Downs going in the top-10 in any situation. Camenker picked Downs to go either No. 5 or No. 10 to the New York Giants, depending on how things unfold.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Caleb Downs prepares for NFL draft as questions around knee swirl
Source: “AOL Sports”
