Caleb Downs, Kenyon Sadiq may provide strong draft value for NFL teams at often undervalued spots

INDIANAPOLIS — The NFL scouting combine is a parade of 40-yard dashes, bench-press reps and carefully rehearsed sound bites, but Caleb Downs and Kenyon Sadiq arrived in Indianapolis this week carrying a quieter confidence. Neither feels compelled to campaign for draft-night fireworks; both believe their tape already screams value at positions the league chronically waits to select.

Downs, the versatile safety who closed his college career at Ohio State after starring at Alabama, is widely viewed as the draft’s top player at his spot. Across three seasons he logged nearly 250 tackles, six interceptions, three forced fumbles and a recovery, punishing anyone who tested the middle of the field. Former Alabama coach Nick Saban called him “one of my favorite all-time players,” praising the maturity and preparation Downs displayed as a freshman. Buckeyes teammates from the 2024 national-title roster echo the sentiment, with several insisting he could be the best defensive prospect available in April.

Yet safeties seldom hear their names called in the top 10, a reality Downs accepts without complaint.

“I feel like my mind really puts me above a lot of people in terms of how I process the game and play with instincts,” he said Thursday. “You’re getting a really talented player, a smart player who can make an impact on the field and in the facility to make a culture change.”

Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta, whose club used first-round picks on safeties Kyle Hamilton in 2022 and Malaki Starks in 2025, believes the position’s draft slide can create windfall opportunities.

“We didn’t go into the 2022 draft thinking Kyle Hamilton was going to be the best player available when we picked, and he happened to be the best player available, and thank God he was,” DeCosta said.

Kenyon Sadiq faces a similar market dynamic at tight end. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Oregon product plans to run the 40-yard dash Friday night, unusual for a prospect projected to come off the board in Round 1. His combination of size, speed and athleticism could stress defenses the way Colston Loveland—last year’s first tight end selected at No. 10 overall—already has.

Sadiq says he is intent on refining both route-running and run-blocking, the sort of self-critique coaches love to hear. He also believes the position’s stock is rising.

“There’s been more credit going to tight ends, and you see the market being reset by guys every year,” he said. “It creates a lot of mismatches on the defensive side … so I think if you have a great tight end or a couple great tight ends, it really helps out your offense.”

Neither Downs nor Sadiq spent combine week lobbying for early draft slots. Their message is simpler: wherever they land, the team that calls their name will get immediate impact at positions still hunting for respect on draft boards league-wide.