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NFL Draft Profile: S Caleb Downs
Downs is an extremely talented, highly intelligent and super versatile safety. He started as a freshman at Alabama on Nick Saban’s defense and immediately looked like one of the best players on the team. After Saban retired, Downs transferred to Ohio State and quickly settled in as one of the most important pieces on an incredibly talented defensive unit.
At 6-foot, 207 pounds, Downs isn’t an athletic specimen like some of the other top prospects in this draft. He’s
a good athlete, no doubt, but he’s not an elite athlete, which is typically the only way a safety gets drafted in the top 10 picks of the first round. Only eight safeties since the year 2000 have been drafted in the top 10 and they’re all physical freaks. Funnily enough, two of them were drafted by Washington: Sean Taylor and LaRon Landry. Even the recent freak athletes like Kyle Hamilton didn’t manage to get into the top 10, which tells you what the NFL thinks of drafting safeties in the top 10 picks, and how much of an outlier drafting Caleb Downs in the top 10 would be.
So if he’s an outlier, what makes him worthy of being a top 10 pick, exactly? Well, a lot of things. Downs is one of the most complete players in the draft with the amount of things he’s able to do. Let’s start first with coverage. Downs is such a versatile coverage defender. He’s capable of playing in a variety of different positions and a variety of different coverages. He can play man coverage, zone coverage, match coverage and everything in between.
While I don’t think I’d want Downs playing man coverage a ton, he showed there he’s certainly capable of it. I think Downs is such a smart player that using him to just guard one receiver would be a bit of a waste. That’s why I’d look to play him a bit deeper and use his intelligence to help him impact more plays.
Along that theme, if a defensive coordinator wants to play Down’s deeper and let him break on things underneath, that’s yet another style of play he’s very much capable of.
NFL.com
2026 NFL Draft: 20 ideal team-prospect fits that could actually happen in Round 1
Commanders: Caleb Downs
With former Vikings assistant Daronte Jones joining the staff as Dan Quinn’s new defensive coordinator, Washington needs a field rover who can handle any responsibility thrown his way. Nobody would be better in that vein than Downs, who would shore up the secondary for a team that allowed the highest explosive rate (15-plus yards) on pass plays in 2025 (17.8%, tied with Cincinnati).
Downs has played his best football as a box safety or slot cornerback, crashing the line of scrimmage to prevent explosive plays or walling off intermediate seam routes. He can function as a highly mobile chess piece who could spell whichever of the team’s other DBs is playing least effectively.
Downs would be the most talented player on the defense from Day 1, but it’s possible his greatest contribution would be his unrelenting motor. He is a bulldog who can attack an offense’s specific weaknesses and ensure the unit’s severe regression in 2025 doesn’t become the norm.
Heavy.com
Commanders could sign WR Jauan Jennings, but he is not well-liked in NFL circles
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings seemed primed to cash in this offseason in free agency — projected to sign a 3-year, $67.3 million contract that never materialized.
ESPN’s Matt Bowen has Jennings ranked as the No. 1 free agent still available as of April 8.
“At 6-foot-3, 213 pounds, Jennings is a consistent route runner who plays through contact and makes himself available to the quarterback on in-breaking targets,” Bowen wrote. “He caught 55 passes last season for an injury-riddled 49ers unit, scoring nine touchdowns. Jennings was even better in 2024, when he ranked 12th in ESPN’s receiver scores and had 975 receiving yards.”
Jennings requested that the 49ers trade him before the 2025 season and the franchise went out and signed his replacement on the 1st day of the free agency cycle, bringing in veteran Mike Evans on a 3-year, $42.5 million contract.
One thing that needs to be taken into account with Jennings, if a team is contemplating bringing him into their locker room, is that he’s not very well-liked in NFL circles.
“Around the rest of the league, he’s one of the least popular players,” Sports Illustrated’s Grant Cohn wrote in December 2025. “And that’s because of his mouth. He talks a ton of trash. He also starts fights by blocking defensive backs so violently that he pushes them off the field. But his mouth is the reason he got punched in the groin two weeks ago when the 49ers faced the Panthers. And his mouth is the reason Browns defensive tackle Shelby Harris was so upset with Jennings last Sunday in Cleveland.”
Commanders Wire
Commanders named top candidate to trade for Pro Bowl wide receiver
Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport identified logical landing spots for Brian Thomas Jr., and Davenport thinks the Commanders make some sense.
In Davenport’s proposal, the Commanders would send the No. 7 pick to the Jaguars for Thomas. Regarding that possible move, Davenport offered the following:
Now the Commanders are in the midst of a pivotal offseason as Jayden Daniels prepares for Year 3 of his professional career. The team has multiple needs on both sides of the ball—including a wide receiver to pair with Terry McLaurin (Lotta lonely Ohio State wideouts in the NFL this year).
If the Jaguars are serious about trading Thomas, Pick No. 7 is about as good as it’s going to get.
If the Commanders believe that the 2024 version of Thomas is the “real” one, it can be argued he’s worth it.
It may seem like an overpay to give up a first-round pick for Thomas based on his 2025 production. Last season, Thomas caught 48 passes for 707 yards and two touchdowns, which probably isn’t worth a first-round pick.
However, Thomas is only 23, and he made the Pro Bowl as a rookie in 2024. During that season, Thomas caught 87 passes for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns. The LSU product seemed like the next great receiver, but Thomas seemingly fell out of favor in 2025 and has been featured in trade rumors since.
Additionally, this potential trade would reunite Thomas with Jayden Daniels, his quarterback for his final two seasons at LSU.
Riggo’s Rag
5 under-pressure Commanders signings who may not make it to Week 1
Jerome Ford – Commanders RB
New offensive coordinator David Blough acknowledged during his introductory press conference that more was needed in the running back room. This need became even more glaring after the Washington Commanders didn’t tender a contract to Chris Rodriguez Jr., leaving him free to sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt flashed immense promise as a rookie. The Commanders re-signed veteran Jeremy McNichols. They reunited quarterback Jayden Daniels with Rachaad White, which brings significant intrigue given how well they worked together at Arizona State.
The Commanders also took a flyer on Jerome Ford. He looked like a potential superstar once upon a time after gaining 1,132 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns in 2023. He was unable to reach similar heights, and his role diminished even more when the Cleveland Browns drafted Dylan Sampson and Quinshon Judkins.
Ford now gets the chance to galvanize his career in Washington. The 2022 fifth-round pick out of Cincinnati has dual-threat capabilities. He’s also got some experience in the return game. Even so, his situation remains precarious.
Commanders.com
Leo Chenal looking to ‘unleash’ his versatility with Commanders
Chenal, who started 44 of his 65 games with the Chiefs, was ready for a bigger role in his career, as he only averaged 38.3% of the defensive snaps in that span. The Commanders appear ready to give him that bigger role. They want to get younger and faster on defense after a disappointing 2025 campaign, and Chenal, who will turn 26 this upcoming season, believes he can help his new team do that with his blend of versatility and physicality.
Commanders.com
Commanders name John Glenn special teams assistant
Prior to joining the Las Vegas Raiders as their linebackers coach in 2025, Glenn was a member of the Commanders coaching staff in 2024 as a special teams assistant. During the 2024 season, Washington ranked No. 3 in the NFL in punt return yardage allowed and No. 2 in the NFL in kickoff return yardage allowed. Washington also had four special teamers gain Pro Bowl alternate honors in 2024 (ST Nick Bellore, ST Jeremy Reaves, P Tress Way and LS Tyler Ott).
Prior to his first stint with the Commanders in 2024, Glenn served as the linebackers coach for the Seattle Seahawks (2018-23). Glenn is entering his 15th year as an NFL coach after twelve consecutive seasons with the Seahawks organization.
Podcasts & videos
Washington Commanders 2026 NFL Draft Q&A | Beltway Football
The podcast starts at 07:15
NFC East links
Big Blue View
Is Jeremiyah Love worth the No. 5 overall pick?
If you ask Joshua Vowles of SB Nation’s One Foot Down, which covers Notre Dame, the answer is an enthusiastic “yes.”
“I think he’s worth the number one overall draft pick and I don’t care about position,” Vowles said on the ‘Valentine’s Views’ podcast. “Jeremiyah Love is the cream of the crop. He is one of the best running backs, if not the best running back, to come out in the last decade.
“When you identify this guy as being a clear cut elite type player you go get him.”
If you ask Todd McShay of The Ringer, the answer is also yes.
McShay has Love ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the draft class, and says “Love is the best player regardless of position in the 2026 draft class.”
McShay gave Love to the Giants in his most recent mock draft [via his subscriber only newsletter]. While McShay said he was “not fully convinced” the Giants would pick Love, “league intel suggests the Giants are one of the most likely teams to take Love in the top 10.”
McShay added:
If you’re drafting a back this high, he needs to be a weapon—and Love is. With excellent speed (4.36 40), natural hands, and a real route-running ability, he gives Jaxson Dart a true explosive outlet. This would signal a clear offensive vision: build around the run game and play-action, similar to how Baltimore developed around Lamar Jackson. Pairing Love with Cam Skattebo (pre-injury form) and Tyrone Tracy Jr. gives the Giants a deep, versatile backfield capable of carrying the offense and maximizing Dart’s strengths.
ESPN
Lawrence absent from Giants workouts, but Harbaugh optimistic
Standout defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence II requested a trade recently and didn’t show for the first day of the New York Giants’ offseason program Tuesday. It doesn’t necessarily mean he will land elsewhere.
Giants coach John Harbaugh expressed optimism during a video call with reporters on Tuesday that the Lawrence situation can eventually get settled, with him remaining in New York. Lawrence has been hoping for a new deal from the Giants for the past two offseasons.
“We’ll find out. I think the prospects [of a return] are going to be high because the Giants, speaking for the Giants, we want Dexter here and I believe Dexter wants to be here,” Harbaugh said. “And that’s a good formula.”
Lawrence is scheduled to make $20 million this season. That would put him as the 10th-highest-paid interior defensive lineman. It’s less than players such as Philadelphia’s Jordan Davis and Tennessee’s John Franklin-Myers earn.
The Giants don’t want to trade Lawrence, a source told ESPN. But it appears they will at least listen to offers. Harbaugh said Tuesday when asked about Kayvon Thibodeaux’s future that “everybody is tradable.” “Everybody” would include Lawrence, for the right price.
Multiple league sources indicated the likely return for Lawrence in a trade would be in the range of a late first-round pick or second-rounder (and more).
[F]rankly, I don’t think the Giants should trade Lawrence. They should pay him the going rate to be the centerpiece of Big Blue’s interior. Trading him would leave a massive hole in the middle.
Even with all their edge weapons, last season the Giants were abysmal when Lawrence was off the field. They ranked 31st in sack rate, 32nd in yards per attempt allowed, and 27th in EPA per pass in plays the DT was off the field. New York’s defense wasn’t good overall, but they were even worse when he took a breather.
How would they replace him? With a second-round pick in a draft viewed as lacking? The compensation the Giants would be in line to garner at this point wouldn’t be worth gutting the interior of their new defense. Outside of a team blowing them away with a trade offer, New York isn’t going to get the requisite return for trading one of its best players.
Pro Football Talk
Jerry Jones: When you have assets we do, you should look at all draft machinations
Dallas currently holds the 12th and 20th overall picks, which gives them a lot of options when it comes to moving around the draft board to get the players they covet the most in this year’s class. They could also try to look to 2027 in deals for future assets and team owner Jerry Jones said the team will “absolutely” be considering all of those possibilities before and during the draft.
“When you’ve got the kind of assets or the kind of ammunition we’ve got in this draft, you should look at all machinations,” Jones said, via the team’s website. “It’s one thing to sit here right now, it’s another thing to sit and look at it three hours into the draft and see what you got there. So all of that is a possibility. This is an obvious statement, but nothing — no amount of skill, no amount of knowledge — can beat having a lot of draft capital, having a lot of picks.”
The Cowboys have eight overall picks, but lack a second-round selection after sending theirs to the Jets in the Quinnen Williams trade last season. A move down with one of their first-round picks could get them one, but it’s just one of the paths the team could take later this month.
Bleeding Green Nation
Call it a Truce
Can we put a pause on the AJ & Hurts headlines and return to the joy that makes us the best fan base in the NFL? I’m struggling to do so myself, as much as I want to dig into the NFL Draft or envision what the new look Eagles offense might look like, it’s fractured by the current QB-WR saga.
Is it my fault that I’m allowing social media and media broadcast reporting to distort my own passion for the Philadelphia Eagles? My bad, I take full accountability but not really sure I have a choice. It’s all over my favorite sports talk stations or podcasts listens, it’s how the Eagles conversations start for most of us.
Has the personality of two individuals spiraled to an unhealthy level that is beyond reasonable resolution?
This is an uncomfortable time as an Eagles fan; the noise is louder than the team.
NFL league links
Articles
The Athletic (paywall)
Steve McMichael, late Bears great and Hall of Famer, had CTE, researchers find
Steve McMichael never blamed football for his demise, but a new study suggests that playing the game for more than 23 years may have had serious consequences for the former defensive tackle.
After studying McMichael’s brain, Boston University researchers posthumously diagnosed the Pro Football Hall of Famer with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the Concussion & CTE Foundation announced Tuesday. There are four stages of CTE, which can only be diagnosed after death, and the legend who played for the University of Texas and the Chicago Bears was in stage three.
McMichael died in April 2025 of complications from the neurodegenerative disorder ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was 67. Some researchers suggest a link between CTE and ALS. Other former NFL players who died of ALS who were also diagnosed with CTE were Pete Duranko, Wally Hilgenberg, Eric Scoggins, former Raiders running back Steve Smith and Kevin Turner.
A 2021 study found NFL players are over four times more likely to develop ALS than the general male population.
NFL Draft
This article from the Athletic (linked in the tweet below) contains a link to the PDF and the password needed to open it.
“The Beast” is published as a PDF. Download it at the link below using the password: *TH3*B3A$T*2024*
(Notes: The password can be entered manually or copied and pasted. Include all of the asterisks, including those at the beginning and end of the password.)
DOWNLOAD HERE: Dane Brugler’s 2024 NFL Draft Guide
ESPN
Sources: Fernando Mendoza not planning to attend NFL draft
Fernando Mendoza, the projected No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, has informed the league that he is not planning to attend the draft, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Mendoza wants to share the draft experience with his family in Miami, sources told Schefter.
The Las Vegas Raiders are widely expected to select Mendoza first overall after the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback led Indiana to the College Football Playoff championship last season.
Mendoza would be the latest top pick to not attend the draft in person. Travon Walker (2022), Trevor Lawrence (2021), Baker Mayfield (2018) and Myles Garrett (2017) also opted to spend draft night with their families at alternate locations.
The SB Nation Mock Draft
You can follow along with all the picks in the SB NATION MOCK DRAFT as they are made: https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/feed
Look for the Commanders pick to be posted today!
SB Nation NFL Mock Draft: With the 1st pick the Las Vegas Raiders select…
Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza (surprise!)
Since moving on from Derek Carr at the end of the 2022 season, the Raiders have had a different Week 1 starting quarterback every year. A big reason is that they haven’t been in a position to draft the next future of the franchise. Now that Las Vegas owns the No. 1 overall pick, there’s no need to overthink the selection or even entertain any trade offers. Plus, Mendoza’s decision-making and accuracy make him a great fit in Klint Kubiak’s offense, and the Heisman Trophy winner is already learning Kubiak’s playbook.
SB Nation NFL Mock Draft: With the 2nd pick the New York Jets select…
Ohio State EDGE Arvell Reese
There’s nothing the Jets would like more than to finally get their long-term answer at quarterback with the second pick in the NFL Draft. However, with Fernando Mendoza on his way to Las Vegas and Dante Moore staying at Oregon, there isn’t a signal caller who makes sense here. So the Jets move to the most important spot on the defensive side of the ball, edge rusher. It happens to be a spot where they have a glaring need. Reese is a boom or bust type player. His physical ability is immense, but he doesn’t have a ton of experience playing a true edge role. Aaron Glenn has expressed a lot confidence in his ability to coach guys with natural talent up so the Jets take the big swing on a player they believe has superstar potential.
SB Nation NFL Mock Draft: With the 3rd pick the Arizona Cardinals select…
Texas Texh Edge Davis Bailey
The Arizona Cardinals wanted to try and make a move down the draft board and make the value fit at offensive tackle, but there were no takers, so instead they sit and pick the dynamic pass rusher from Texas Tech. Bailey will help a porous Cardinals pass rush that only saw Josh Sweat really create any type of pressures/sacks and give the Cardinals a young protégé at the position to learn from Sweat and eventually take over as the alpha rusher on the team.
SB Nation NFL Mock Draft: With the 4th pick the Tennessee Titans select…
Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
Is number 4 overall too early for a running back? Not in this draft. The Titans would love to see David Bailey fall to this spot, but he went off the board third to the Arizona Cardinals. With him gone, the Titans add arguably the best player in this draft with Love. Having an explosive running game will take some of the pressure off second-year quarterback Cam Ward. Love is also dynamic as a receiver, and the Titans desperately need weapons on offense.
Offseason gossip
Page Six
New England Patriots’ Mike Vrabel and top NY Times NFL reporter Dianna Russini hold hands and hug at luxury hotel
Exclusive photos obtained by Page Six appear to show the New England Patriots‘ head coach Mike Vrabel and the New York Times’ top NFL reporter holding hands and hugging at a luxurious hotel.
Vrabel and Dianna Russini — a former anchor on ESPN’s flagship “SportsCenter” who now holds the official title of “senior NFL insider” at the Gray Lady’s sports publication, the Athletic — were spotted two weekends ago at the Ambiente in Sedona, Arizona, a boutique resort set against the breathtaking Brins Mesa mountain range.
A Page Six spy tells us that the pair — both married to other people — had breakfast on the patio of the hotel restaurant around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 28, before spending a leisurely hour or so together at the pool and lounging side-by-side in a hot tub.
Front Office Sports
Mike Vrabel: Photos With Dianna Russini Are ‘Completely Innocent’
Vrabel, Russini, and The Athletic dismissed the notion that the meetup was inappropriate, calling the photos “innocent” and “misleading” in statements, and both said they were at the resort with friends who aren’t shown in the photos. Both Vrabel and Russini are married with children.
“These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable,” Vrabel told the Post. “This doesn’t deserve any further response.”
“The photos don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day. Like most journalists in the NFL, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues,” Russini said in a statement sent to Front Office Sports.
Steven Ginsberg, executive editor of The Athletic, also downplayed the photos. “These photos are misleading and lack essential context. These were public interactions in front of many people. Dianna is a premier journalist covering the NFL and we’re proud to have her at The Athletic,” he said.
