AI Evaluates Caleb Downs, 'He's Just Not That Fast' Compared to Other Top NFL Safety Prospects

If artificial intelligence had its way, Caleb Downs might not be as highly regarded in the 2026 NFL draft as he is by scouts and analysts.

In a story about the ways NFL teams are adding AI to their list of evaluation tools, ESPN's Kevin Seifert noted an evaluation of the Ohio State star returned with the note that his game speed is slower than other top safeties in this year's draft class.

"I don't doubt that he's a really good football player," Karim Kassam, vice president of product at the data company Teamworks, told Seifert. "He's just not that fast."

The story doesn't specify how fast Downs plays during games, but it wasn't unknown among the scouting community that he isn't a burner on tape. He didn't run the 40 at the NFL scouting combine, so there's no official measurement of his straight-line speed.

B/R's NFL scouting department, which has Downs ranked as the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2026 class, cited Kyle Hamilton as a comp for him.

One of the reasons Hamilton, who was regarded as a top-10 prospect in the 2022 draft, stayed on the board until pick No. 14 is because he ran the 40 in 4.59 seconds at the NFL scouting combine.

It's not a perfect comparison because Downs is on the small side for a player at his position, but he has put up huge numbers throughout his college career against elite competition.

Seifert pointed out that Kassam did note that AI won't necessarily change the interest teams have in Downs, but it could "influence" how they try to optimize him in the NFL.

Downs is projected to be the No. 5 overall pick by the New York Giants in B/R's most recent mock draft.