The Pittsburgh Steelers are like every team in the league—their draft strategy aligns with the team's biggest needs. Sometimes, this also happens to line up with the best players on the board. But after the latest injury buzz out of the NFL Combine, there's a chance Omar Khan could land a player who has no business slipping to the second half of the first round.
On Monday, following the conclusion of the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, a rumor surfaced from NFL analyst Cory Kinnan that Ohio State star safety Caleb Downs has some concerning injury red flags, per SCOUTD.
The report suggests that Downs was flagged with a pair of knee issues, including a partially torn meniscus and a degenerative ACL.
Either of these issues, by itself, would be enough to warrant further evaluation and potentially drop Downs on a team's draft board. But the two of them together could be concerning for organizations that both want a short-term fix and a long-term foundational roster piece.
While we can feel for a player like Downs in this situation (if the medical concerns are warranted), this could turn into the ultimate 'best player available' swing for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Interesting, the Steelers had a formal meeting with Downs at the NFL Combine.
Caleb Downs' rumored medical concerns put superstar prospect on the map for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Safety is hardly the most valuable position in the league, and there aren't usually many safeties that go in the first round each year because of this. However, with a clean bill of health, there wasn't a chance in the world that Caleb Downs was going to slip far enough to be within range of the Steelers.
Downs, a two-time unanimous All-American at Ohio State, is a ferocious defender who can cover, run sideline to sideline, and deliver punishing blows behind the line of scrimmage. His phenomenal performances for three straight seasons make him a top-five talent in the 2026 draft class.
But all it takes is for a few teams to be uncomfortable with his medicals for him to begin a first-round draft slide.
Downs was a player talked about going as high as the No. 2 overall pick to the New York Jets. But with Downs' reported knee issues, and the fact that New York traded away edge rusher Jermaine Johnson before the Combine, they are likely to go with a pass rusher here.
Meanwhile, if teams like the Giants (pick No. 5), the Browns (pick No. 6), the Bengals (pick No. 10), and the Cowboys (picks No. 12 and 20) are concerned about Downs' medicals or elect to target money-five positions, Downs could see a notable draft slide.
This doesn't mean that the star safety will make it to Pittsburgh—nor should he. Even with potentially concerning knee issues, Downs is far too talented for that. However, if he begins a draft slide, the Steelers have the firepower to move up a handful of spots and select him.
The Steelers currently own 12 selections in the 2026 NFL Draft, including their original first and second-round picks as well as a trio of third-rounders.
While trading up for a safety is typically deemed an unwise draft philosophy, the Steelers did this back in the 2003 NFL Draft to land USC star Troy Polamalu... and look how that turned out. Polamalu went on to earn a first-ballot Hall of Fame career.
The thought of Caleb Downs slipping far enough in the NFL Draft for the Pittsburgh Steelers to move up to nab him still feels like a prayer. However, if the safety's medical concerns are true, there's an avenue for Omar Khan to get arguably the best overall player in the 2026 draft class.