‘For a player already seen as a first-round lock, the NFL Combine presents a classic risk-reward scenario. A great performance confirms what scouts already believe, but a single misstep could cost millions. It’s a high-stakes decision, and one $120M NFL star just gave Caleb Downs the inside track on how to play it.

Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown appeared on Caleb Downs’ podcast on February 13 and gave some relevant pointers from his own NFL draft experience.

“For me, it was like I gotta do everything to try to make it right,” St. Brown said. “For you, it’s a lot different. You just can’t fu-k it up. I don’t know if you’re going to run the 40. I feel, are you fast?

If you feel like you’re fast, why not run it? But if you don’t feel like you’re going to run a good time, then I don’t see why you should run it. Go look at the tape. Look at what I do on the field. Don’t need to watch me run a 40 and then potentially think, yeah, we’re gonna drop him a little lower because he ran slower. There is no point at the end of the day.”

St. Brown’s advice to rely on the tape is well-founded. Downs’ on-field production has been elite since day one, starting with a 107-tackle freshman season at Alabama that put him on the national map. That dominance continued at Ohio State, where he not only helped win a national title but also consistently demonstrated the instincts and versatility. From playing deep half to stacking the box, Downs did everything Jim Knowles and Matt Patricia asked of him.

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And just like at Alabama, Downs’ Ohio State career has also produced impressive numbers. In his first season as a Buckeye, Downs notched 81 tackles and 2 interceptions. The OSU junior registered five solo tackles against Notre Dame in the national championship game. That dominance continue

Downs’ ability to both stack in the box and line up as a deep half defender worked like a charm for DC Matt Patricia. He accumulated 68 tackles along with a sack. Add in Caleb’s leadership skills and physicality as a run defender, and you are looking at a legitimate top-ten NFL draft pick.

Veteran NFL reporter almost seals Caleb Downs’ NFL draft fate

Detroit Lions’ St. Brown ran the 40-yard dash at USC’s Pro Day and boosted his stock. The former USC WR ran it in 4.51 seconds and displayed prolific route running and toughness. That led the Lions to draft him in the fourth round, and he has now established himself as the Lions’ most important player, accumulating 6,252 receiving yards in just five seasons. But Brown almost had no choice since he finished with just 478 receiving yards in the 2020 season with USC due to an injury.

For Downs, though, running the 40 isn’t mandatory, since he is already a potential top-10 pick. “I think he’s gonna go in the top ten,” Sr. NFL reporter Albert Breer said about Caleb Downs on February 14. “He’s one of the best football players I’ve seen in college football over the last three or four years, I’d say. When he hits somebody, they freaking stop.

The momentum he plays with his ability to cover, his ability to play in different areas of the field. I mean. Matt Patricia’s defense asks a lot from its safeties. And I think one of the things that made it easier on Matty P. To implement his defense in year one at Ohio State, was having a guy like that who was so well-rounded and so smart and checked so many boxes.”

We have already seen college players like Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter, Ashton Jeanty, and Abdul Carter abstain from the Combine. In Shedeur’s case, it worked against the quarterback, as there were doubts about his play. But Hunter went as a top -five pick, and Jeanty was also picked at the top of the board. Downs can also let his game film do the talking, betting that his All-American-level play is more than enough to secure his spot in the top 10.