Ohio State’s safety Caleb Downs is already a big name in the football community. It is expected that he will become an even bigger one in the NFL. The transition will be a challenge for Downs. But seasoned NFL stars Zaire Franklin and Caleb’s own brother, Josh, provided him with some major motivation to shine in that fight.

“Let me tell you this right now, the college game is not even that fun compared to the NFL,” Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin said on Downs 2 Business. “The NFL is a better game than college…For you as a defensive player, especially as a smart communicator in the backend, you’re going to enjoy the NFL way more than you enjoy college.”

“The NFL is more fun because it’s more competitive,” Josh Downs added. “Every game, you’re not going out there against certain games, like, ‘We’re about to wax these dudes about 30.’ No. Every week you get a good matchup.”

College football serves as a developmental stage for all young players to enter the pro level. But the level of competition is clearly different. In college, teams go up against teams that are stronger and also against those that are weaker. Most of these games are predictable. For example, Ohio State is always going to defeat an FCS team. But in the NFL, that’s not always the case, because of the calibre the teams have.

According to the NCAA, only 22% of NCAA footballers make it to the draft. Of them, only 1.5% make the league. This is only a sliver of the entire football community, and yet, it is the best. An NFL player has standards that won’t be found in a college football player. Caleb Downs will be lining up against the very best in the business when he finds a spot on a team roster. His brother, Josh, highlighted the fact. The high level of talent will present a level of competition that the OSU safety has yet to experience.

Of course, having played at Alabama and Ohio State and making it to the draft is proof enough that Caleb Downs is capable of the NFL. He is among the most sought-after prospects, thanks to his remarkable showcase as a Buckeye last year. But Downs still has a long way to go to make the best of his elite potential. And as Franklin said, he is in the right place for that to happen.

Teams like the Cincinnati Bengals might be interested in Downs, especially after struggling in coverage and allowing big plays last season. Then there’s the New York Giants holding the no. 5 pick, which can add more defensive leaders to the team. Up until the NFL Combine, Downs was practically confirmed as a Top-10 pick. All he needed to do was wait for his time to get on the field and light it up the way he did in college. However, the Combine has marred some of this future.

Caleb Downs’ injury status gets more clarity

Caleb Downs’ NFL draft stock seemed to take a major hit, especially after injury news started circulating. He was reported to have partly torn his meniscus, along with a degenerative ACL. Knee problems are detrimental to NFL careers, which have cut short those of multiple players. But Pat McAfee puts an end to those rumors on his show.

“There wasn’t one NFL team that we talked to this morning that said anything was wrong, and we talked to multiple,” Pat McAfee said.

Moreover, Downs’ family has refuted these rumors, regarding them as “clickbait.” With voices like McAfee also helping clear the air, the dust is beginning to settle around this drama. And, his former DC, Matt Patricia, has also given him a stamp of approval, so that scouts can have confidence in him. The former regarded Downs to be the “face of the franchise” in the future. His production was also top-notch as he recorded 68 total tackles and two forced fumbles with two interceptions. That adaptability impressed Patricia, too, as he praised his calibre.

“He has that in-game ability to adjust, just like a coach,” Patricia said. “When you’re talking about stepping up to the next level, a guy with the skill set that can play in the box, has great run instincts, can blitz, can cover, can play man-to-man, and played in the deep part of the field.”

It is unfortunate that a player like Downs has to deal with this unnecessary noise. But he has to brave it and make it count in the NFL, which his brother and Zaire Franklin believe is where the magic is. We’ll have to wait and watch with which team Downs makes it happen.