Who is Caleb Downs? 10 things to know about the Dallas Cowboys rookie

With Dallas desperately seeking to upgrade its defense, the team saw a run of the premier defenders come off the board with Arvell Reese going to the Giants, Mansoor Delane going to the Chiefs and Sonny Styles going to the Commanders in three consecutive picks. Perhaps that's why the Cowboys hopped up a spot from 12th to 11th to ensure they landed the best remaining defender on the board. It's probably safe to infer that Dallas doesn't bother moving up one slot if there wasn't a strong belief that someone else was trying to nab Downs in front of them. Just before the selection of Downs was announced -- after the pick was in but before Goodell took the stage -- a ripple went out across the Cowboys beat reporters keeping an eye on Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones, Brian Schottenheimer and more in the Cowboys' draft room. They say the first pick of a head coach's tenure can tell you a lot about their draft strategy. Maybe this year, the Cowboys' first pick could tell a lot about the help they want to get their defensive coordinator. 7. He's already learning the new scheme Downs wasted no time learning Parker's scheme. A day after he was drafted, Downs met Parker in the team's facility and asked how quickly he could get a playbook. Parker made one available to Downs, then the defensive back started watching film of Parker's scheme in action with the Eagles. “Just honestly, I can say in just the month or whatever I’ve been around the kid and watching the kid, hell, I think I take it as a compliment when those comparisons come around,” Prescott told The Dallas Morning News. Downs' brother Josh is also in the league, though he plays wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts. In May, Josh said he was looking forward to facing Caleb when the Colts and Cowboys meet up in 2026. "Yeah, we played in high school, I feel like this matchup will be even better. I remember before he got drafted — not to talk about the Cowboys' scheme or anything — [Caleb] told me if he goes to the Cowboys, he's playing nickel. So, that's like, head-to-head, all game. So that's interesting," Josh Downs told reporters.