Rivalries don’t usually leave much room for honesty, especially when it has anything to do with one of CFB’s most intense rivalries. But here we are because when the NFL Draft clock starts ticking in Pittsburgh, nobody really cares about school colors anymore. And that’s why Michigan booster Taylor Lewan is swallowing his pride to speak the obvious truth. 

A former Michigan OT turned media personality and NIL backer, Taylor Lewan, built a persona on edge, loyalty, and a dose of Wolverines pride. This is the same guy who once put $50,000 on the Maize and Blue and turned it into a content piece with his “Bussin’ Bowl” concept. So when he dropped his latest tweet about Ohio State, it wasn’t performative. 

“I’m clearly not a fan of Ohio State, but this is one of the best college football players I’ve ever watched,” he tweeted and added, “it hurt to write this tweet.” 

The clip he attached was of Ohio State safety Caleb Downs flying downhill, rotating post-snap, erasing angles, and just being a nightmare for opposing offenses. The interesting thing is that he’s not just complimenting his rival, but he’s elevating him publicly as a Michigan faithful right before the 2026 NFL draft. Some still tried to overshadow his upside with his 1-2 OSU vs Michigan record. But some, like Taylor Lewan, aren’t bitter because it is what it is. 

Caleb Downs’ tape shows why someone like Taylor Lewan would swallow that pride. The numbers alone are absurd, but they don’t even tell half the story. Pre-snap, he was everywhere: half-field safety, middle-field safety, slot, boundary corner, even in the box. Post-snap, he was rotating deep middle, dropping into flats, and blitzing off the edge like an entire secondary.

Despite that versatile upside, history doesn’t exactly favor players like Caleb Downs. Safeties don’t go early, especially not top-five early. Since 1967, only five players have achieved that feat. In the last 25 years, barely a handful even got to the top 10. It’s a position that gets boxed into “value” conversations and gets treated like a luxury. But this 21-year-old challenged that argument. 

“At the end of the day, who’s the best defender?” he said at the NFL Combine. “It’s not really positional value. It’s who affects the game.”

That confidence has caught up with the NFL, particularly with the New York Giants. With the No. 5 pick, they have a chance to reshape their defense. And when their head coach, John Harbaugh, starts talking about “future Hall of Fame safeties” in the context of Caleb Downs, you see genuine interest. Taylor Lewan probably sees that future for this Buckeye product, too. And if even your rival can’t deny it, what are you supposed to do with that?

Caleb Downs is a proven playmaker

Right from his freshman season at Alabama in 2023, Caleb Downs showed why he would be a potential future first-round pick. He thrived in Nick Saban’s defense with eight tackles in his debut and was named SEC Freshman of the Year. After the coach’s retirement, he transferred to Ohio State and became a 2x unanimous All-American with a national championship, too. 

“Caleb Downs made more players that plays in college than anybody in the draft,” Saban said on The Pat McAfee Show. “The guy is so instinctive. He’s got really good ability. He is a phenomenal person, and he is a football junkie, and he is just so instinctive on the field and such a fast reactor.”

Caleb Downs finished his Ohio State stint with 150 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, four interceptions, and eight pass breakups. Off the field, teammates called him an extra coach on the field. His ability to diagnose, react, and adjust mid-play isn’t just advanced is rare, especially for a player his age. And when you pair that with his versatility, the upside is immense. That’s why scouts are viewing him as a top-10 pick, likely top-5 if the Giants make their move early.