ESPN’s Miller projects Cardinals to take S Caleb Downs with 1st pick of 2026 NFL Draft
As the 2026 NFL Draft order currently sits, ESPN's Matt Miller has the Cardinals taking Ohio State S Caleb Downs as a "marriage of need and value."
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Through Week 11 of the 2025 NFL season, the Arizona Cardinals are 3-7 and have positioned themselves for the ninth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, which ESPN’s Matt Miller projects to be Ohio State safety Caleb Downs.
The unknown that comes with how Arizona chooses to deal with quarterback Kyler Murray places a large asterisk on this selection, but Miller nonetheless said Downs is his top safety option.
Miller referenced that Downs’ NFL comparison is most commonly Kyle Hamilton of the Baltimore Ravens, a fourth-year pro with two forced fumbles and six passes defensed this season. While the Ohio State junior possesses much of the playing style to that of Hamilton, he is “more physical as a hybrid safety,” in the eyes of Miller.
Safety might not be Arizona’s biggest need — that depends on what happens with Murray at QB — but stealing the best player of the draft while improving the back end is how smart teams are built. Jalen Thompson will be a free agent this offseason and Budda Baker turns 30 in January, so adding Downs — who has deep range and the strength to play in the box — would make sense.
Besides Murray, the poor performance of a largely intact offensive line from 2024 — with Murray or backup Jacoby Brissett under center — has crept up as an area needing a shot in the arm.
Hayden Conner, the only offensive addition in from the Cardinals’ 2025 draft, has yet to see a regular season snap as he is still dealing with a knee injury picked up in the preseason. He was practicing in a limited fashion on Wednesday ahead of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Miller said safety is not the franchise’s top priority in the upcoming draft, but said if Arizona decides to buy into Downs, it “would be a marriage of need and value” as two of its top current options — Jalen Thompson and Budda Baker — are either turning into a free agent or turning 30 years old.
In Miller’s first round mock draft, he has Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson going to the Tennessee Titans with the No. 4 pick. With Tyson in tow, Miller said the Titans could “get a true evaluation” of 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward.
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Comments
9 Comments
Makes perfect sense for the Cardinals.....waste your first pick by filling a position you don't need. Continue ignoring the offensive line. Disregard the need for a QB. That's how you maintain your lock on last place in the NFC West and continue serving as a punching bag for the Rams, Seahawks and 49ers.
More prognostication by national media types that dont follow the Cardinals.
Budda can still play and you can resign Thompson. Rabbit is there as well. Even aside from QB, we have more pressing needs than S. Oline comes to mind...
There are a handful of QBs coming out with protentional to be very good. The lack of a clear cut generational dude actually plays into our hands. Teams in need will chose the guy they think they can mold which could create a situation where the guy(s) we like could slip to us. If we get a top 10 pick and dont draft a Q then that would be a very, very Cardinal thing to do now wouldnt it? Monti is the smartest guy in the room afterall...
ESPN sucks.