The Dallas Cowboys pulled off the biggest heist of the 2026 NFL Draft by drafting Ohio State safety Caleb Downs with the 11th overall pick. They were previously thought to have no shot at landing arguably the best defensive player in this draft, but in typical Cowboys fashion, they found a way.
Frankly, this was the best first-round pick Jerry Jones has made since Micah Parsons, and everyone seems to be in agreeance that this pick was great. And you know this pick was great when the legendary Nick Saban is vocally endorsing the Downs pick during ESPN's coverage of the NFL Draft.
"This is as fine a young man as you're ever going to find to be a part of your team," Saban said. "He's a great competitor. He's got great character. He's so instinctive as a player. He can play downhill, he can play in the box, he can play the deep field, he can play man to man. This guy is a tremendous, tremendous person and competitor."
Saban coached the 20-year-old during his freshman year at Alabama, which also turned out to be his final season as a head coach, during which he clearly made enough of a lasting impression both on and off the field that he still stands out in the mind of a seven-time national championship-winning head coach.
No one is a bigger fan of the Cowboys' Caleb Downs pick than Nick Saban
Saban is regarded as the greatest college football coach to ever walk the planet. This isn't everyday praise you receive from a head coach. This is a player who has the potential to transform this Dallas defense immediately. He didn't say anything we didn't already know, but this is one hell of a source.
As we all know, when Saban retired, the Jim Thorpe Award winner turned coat over to Ohio State, but he held no ill will over that. If anything, the decision to leave for Columbus helped Downs, as he improved so much each season to the point that Saban used a double tremendous to describe him.
"And I tell you what, there's only a few guys that I love more than this guy as a player on our football team, and he did a great job and improved even more in Ohio State."
Saban also quipped that Downs' mother made the best white chili he ever ate during a recruiting visit, so if Jerry Jones ever gets tired of the lavish lifestyle and wants a home-cooked meal, that door may be open, but he's plenty abuzz over what this kid can do on the field, just like everyone else in Texas.
And if Saban's assessment is any indication, NFC East offenses should be trembling.
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