Caleb Downs is the prototype modern safety, offering elite football intelligence, rapid processing, and true positional versatility. He can align as a deep safety, nickel defender, overhang, or box safety, allowing defenses to disguise coverage and rotate post-snap without sacrificing structural integrity. Downs thrives in split-safety and match-zone systems that emphasize communication, route recognition, and disciplined eye control. He also projects cleanly in 4-2-5 and big nickel structures, where he can function as a coverage eraser against tight ends, trigger downhill as a run defender, and serve as the on-field communicator for the secondary.