Ohio State’s Rising Star Sparks Buzz as 2026 NFL Draft’s Unseen Game-Changer—Is He the Next Big Thing?

The 2025 college football season is still a good stretch away, yet Ohio State’s already got the preseason buzz humming like a stadium packed on rivalry weekend. Fresh off snapping a title drought since 2014, the Buckeyes aren’t just riding high—they have a defensive gem turning heads far beyond Columbus. Caleb Downs, the safety who’s becoming as synonymous with Ohio State’s swagger as the scarlet and gray itself, is emerging as the top overall NFL Draft prospect for 2026. But here’s the kicker—while ESPN’s Matt Miller and Field Yates crown him the best in college football, the enigma remains: can a safety ever truly get the respect of a first overall pick? History says nah, yet talent like Downs’s—blending stealth, power, and instinct—might just rewrite the playbook. Meanwhile, Ryan Day’s crew is staring down the tough road of back-to-back championships, all while trying to shake a four-year funk against their archrival Michigan. So the question isn’t just about who’s the best player, but whether Ohio State can keep stacking legacies and silence doubters. Intrigued? LEARN MORE.

The 2025 college football season is still months away, but Ohio State is already garnering a lot of preseason hype coming off its first national title since 2014. As early 2026 NFL Draft big boards begin to take shape, Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs is among the nation’s top players entering his junior year.

While Downs is already the consensus top safety in college football, the Ohio State star is also the No. 1 2026 NFL Draft prospect, according to ESPN’s Matt Miller and Field Yates. The analysts agree that he may not be taken first overall in the draft, but should be considered the best preseason prospect.

“Ohio State’s Caleb Downs will begin the 2025 season as my top overall prospect, even though safety isn’t a premium position in terms of value,” Miller wrote. “No one can top Downs — he is the best player in college football and the most exciting prospect.”

Yates agreed with Miller, predicting Downs will be the best player in college football in 2025. He noted the tremendous accolades Downs has already gathered in two years, including his freshman season with Alabama.

“Whether he winds up being drafted high remains to be seen, but I agree with Matt on Downs,” Yates wrote. “He was the most talented player on the Buckeyes’ defense last season, blending exceptional movement traits in space, deep-range cover ability and serious power to be a disruptive force against the run.”

Even if Downs is the best player in the country, like Miller and Yates project, he is unlikely to be the No. 1 pick of the 2026 NFL Draft. No safety has ever gone first overall, with only two players — Sean Taylor and Eric Turner — ever taken in the top five.

Ohio State seeks consecutive College Football Playoff titles in 2025

Coming off Ryan Day’s first national title, Ohio State will look to become the first back-to-back champions in College Football Playoff history. To do so, the Buckeyes will have to replace the production of Will Howard, Quinshon Judkins, TreVeyon Henderson, Jack Sawyer, JT Tuimoloau and Cody Simon in 2025.

Despite the losses, Ohio State will still return superstar freshman Jeremiah Smith in addition to Downs. Day also added a wave of talent from the transfer portal, including quarterback Air Noland and edge rusher Beau Atkinson.

While winning consecutive titles will be a tall task, the Buckeyes also hope to end their four-year-long losing streak to rival Michigan. In many fans’ eyes, Ohio State’s loss in the 2024 edition of ‘The Game’ stained its otherwise successful championship-winning season.

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