Cowboys Meet With Arvell Reese, Schedule Visits With Caleb Downs, Sonny Styles
Ohio State is expected to be the most represented school in the first half of this month’s first round. As many as four Buckeyes are squarely on the radar to become top-10 picks. The Cowboys are meeting with three of them.
Dallas completed a “30” visit with hybrid linebacker Arvell Reese, according to All DLLS’ Clarence Hill, who adds the team has scheduled pre-draft meetings with safety Caleb Downs and linebacker Sonny Styles.
All three Ohio State defenders reside in the top nine of Daniel Jeremiah’s latest NFL.com big board, which slots Styles third, Reese fifth and Downs ninth. This would make it unlikely any member of the trio reaches the Cowboys at No. 12, but that is not a certainty. Both Styles and Downs play non-premium positions, while Reese is considered a high-ceiling project who has drawn some Micah Parsons comparisons due to his potential as an edge rusher and experience as an off-ball LB.
Styles, though, may be the cleanest of these prospects. As our Adam La Rose noted this week, Styles spent two seasons as a safety in Columbus. He moved to linebacker in 2024 and combined for 182 tackles and seven sacks over the past two seasons. The all-around talent drew a Jeremiah comp to All-Pro Fred Warner; Styles’ Combine work gives him a chance to become the first off-ball linebacker selected in the top five since Devin White in 2019. One GM and a separate longtime evaluator told SportsBoom.com’s Jason La Canfora that Styles is the best overall talent in this year’s draft.
As other positional markets have soared in recent years, ILB has not climbed much. Warner and Shaquille Leonard secured deals reaching or exceeding $19MM per year in 2021; the market is now topped by Warner’s $21MM-per-year 49ers extension. Neither Devin Lloyd nor Quay Walker required a top-five ILB deal to sign last month; the position is not viewed similarly to edge rusher, where Reese is hoping to campaign. White (for the most part), Isaiah Simmons, Rolando McClain and Aaron Curry underwhelmed as top-10 picks. Though, Luke Kuechly and Roquan Smith delivered as top-10 options in that span.
Downs also plays a position that teams regularly devalue, though the safety market has changed more than the ILB landscape in recent years. The Giants (No. 5) have been linked to both Styles and Downs, while the Commanders (No. 7) have also met with Styles. Only two safeties — Jamal Adams (No. 6, 2017) and Eric Berry (No. 5, 2010) — have been drafted in the top 10 over the past 18 years. Downs will be a good bet to join them, but if he slips, a Cowboys team in dire need of defensive help could be lurking.
Considering how clean Styles and Downs are viewed as prospects, these visits are interesting. This is prime smokescreen season, but teams seeing the Cowboys meeting with this duo could influence another club to trade up to outflank Dallas in the event one is still on the board as No. 12 nears.
Reese has been mocked frequently to the Jets at No. 2, but he played fewer than 100 EDGE snaps in 2025. Reese wants to play that position as a pro; that makes sense given the tremendous value gap between ILBs and OLBs. A GM informed La Canfora Reese should be viewed as a 3-4 OLB in the pros. The Cowboys are installing that defense under new DC Christian Parker, but Reese will not be expected to be available by the time Dallas’ first pick comes around.
RB Jeremiyah Love At Top Of Giants’ List?
Drafting running backs early in the first round is back in style. Ashton Jeanty went at No. 6 last year, and in 2023, Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs went eighth and 12th overall, respectively. This year’s draft is expected to add another name to the list. 
The running back most likely to continue this trend in 2026 is Notre Dame star Jeremiyah Love. Tennessee has been a popular projection, as both Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears are in the final years of their contracts. However, as ESPN’s Jordan Reid notes, Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi came up in a Chiefs front office that prioritized premium positions with premium draft picks. Taking a running back with the No. 4 pick – especially with needs at more valuable positions – would fly in the face of that philosophy.
If the Titans pass on Love, he will likely wind up in New York, according to Reid’s colleague, Matt Miller. New Giants head coach John Harbaugh may not have such qualms about Love’s position with more of an emphasis on his game-changing talent. He consistently prioritized a strong ground game in Baltimore, though the Ravens never drafted a running back in the first-round during his tenure.
Were New York to choose him, Love would immediately have the best draft pedigree of anyone in the Giants’ running backs room. Veteran Devin Singletary currently holds that honor as a former third-round pick out of FAU. Eric Gray and Tyrone Tracy were fifth-round picks in back-to-back years for New York, in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Singletary and Gray are also set to play on the final years of their contracts. Combined with last year’s fourth-round rookie, Cam Skattebo, there are plenty of mouths to feed, but inserting Love into the room immediately would change the outlook for the current players’ roles in the room.
If running back isn’t the answer in New York, the team’s top decision makers could start the trend for another position that isn’t notoriously taken early on Day 1. Harbaugh was part of a large contingent that attended the Ohio State Pro Day on Wednesday. It was notable enough to see Harbaugh there, given he hasn’t frequented many pro days in recent years, but in Columbus, Harbaugh, team owner Chris Mara, general manager Joe Schoen, assistant general manager Brandon Brown, and player personnel director Tim McDonnell all showed up to evaluate Buckeyes, and Harbaugh was seen getting some face time with standout safety Caleb Downs, according to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan.
The highest a safety has ever been drafted was second overall in 1991, when Eric Turner‘s name was called by the Browns. Since then, only two other safeties have even been drafted in the top five picks of the draft, Sean Taylor in 2004 and Eric Berry in 2010. Downs could be the next to join that list if the Giants decide to write his name down a month from now. Harbaugh’s defenses in Baltimore almost always featured strong safety play from names like Ed Reed, Eric Weddle, and Kyle Hamilton. Downs may be just the man to upgrade Big Blue’s defensive outfield in 2026.
Ely Allen contributed to this post.
NFL Draft Rumors: Cardinals, RBs, Downs, Woods, Terrell
As free agency slows, the general focus of the NFL is starting to shift to the 2026 NFL Draft. For one team, though, the focus appears to be the 2027 NFL Draft, per Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom. As several teams work to secure optimal situations in their quarterbacks rooms, the Cardinals appear to be working around it.
After cutting veteran quarterback Kyler Murray, Arizona seems content to move forward in 2026 with journeyman backup Jacoby Brissett, who went 1-11 as the Cardinals’ starter last year. They supplemented the room with another frequent flier with starting experience in Gardner Minshew. Neither passer is viewed as the team’s future at the position but more as bridge options until that future comes along. The prevailing opinion throughout league circles appears to be that Arizona is tanking the 2026 season in hopes of setting themselves up well for a draft projected to be a bit more rich in quarterback prospects than this year’s draft.
With that in mind, the remainder of their offseason will be focused on building an offense around their future quarterback, starting with the construction of a reliable wall in front of him. For this reason, there’s belief the Cardinals will be targeting an offensive lineman with their No. 3 overall pick, and the popular opinion is that Hurricanes top tackle prospect Francis Mauigoa could be that target. The three-year starter out of Miami (FL) has a strong chance of being available as Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is expected to go No. 1 to Las Vegas, and the Jets are expected to add to their defense with the second overall pick.
Here are a few other draft rumors from around the NFL:
- While only one or two running backs project to be top prospects in the draft, there are plenty of options for teams looking to build depth or add some fresher legs to their room. With Alvin Kamara‘s future in New Orleans in doubt, Tony Pauline of EssentiallySports reports that the Saints have shown interest in Arkansas running back Mike Washington. A Buffalo- and New Mexico State-transfer, Washington rushed for 1,070 yards and eight touchdowns for the Razorbacks last year.
- When it was thought that Aaron Jones would be departing from Minnesota, some at ESPN believed the team would go to the draft, as opposed to the free agent market, to fill out the room. With Jones returning on a re-worked contract that expires after this year, running back may still be a focus for the Vikings in this year’s draft.
- Despite re-signing J.K. Dobbins and restricted free agent Jaleel McLaughlin and having spent a second-round pick on RJ Harvey last year, the Broncos are doing research on the draft’s offerings at the position. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, the team hosted Indiana running back Kaelon Black for a top 30 visit. The national champion rushed for 1,040 yards and 10 touchdowns and has visited the Jets with visits with the Panthers, Bengals, and Raiders set in the future.
- According to ESPN’s Matt Miller, some post-combine conversations with scouts revealed a dramatic range of opinions for Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods. The former five-star recruit took over a full-time starting position in his sophomore season and grabbed the attention of scouts everywhere with three sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss in 11 games while proving to be an elite run-stopper. His production declined in his junior year, which Pro Football Focus (subscription required) still saw as good but graded as his worst campaign in Clemson. As a result, some scouts still see the potential and view him as a top 15 prospect, while others have him “solidly” as a Day 2 prospect.
- The Giants have had an incredibly busy (and in many views productive) offseason thus far, so many are eager to see what approach they will take with their fifth overall pick in the draft. According to La Canfora, despite their success rebuilding so far, New York still has a glaring hole in the secondary. New head coach John Harbaugh‘s former organization invested heavily in the safety position over the course of his tenure with the team, and it’s believed that that mentality has followed him to New York. Ohio State’s Caleb Downs has been tied to the Giants before, and La Canfora doubles down on the opinion that he could be the selection at No. 5 overall.
- Clemson cornerback Avieon Terrell, the younger brother of Falcons first-round cornerback and one-time second-team All-Pro AJ Terrell, is widely viewed as a top five prospect at his position. After suffering a minor hamstring injury at the combine, though, the younger Terrell will not be participating in the Tigers’ pro day, according to Jordan Reid of ESPN. Instead, he has scheduled a separate workout for scouts that will take place March 30.
Giants Interested In John Franklin-Myers, Wyatt Teller; Jermaine Eluemunor Open To Staying
A Giants roster-reshaping effort under John Harbaugh is coming soon. In addition to having renewed interest — at least, compared to where they were when letting Saquon Barkley walk two years ago — in running backs, the Giants have some high-profile linemen on their radar.
The team is interested in bringing in veteran guard Wyatt Teller, according to ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan. Other guards are on New York’s radar as well, with Raanan mentioning Alijah Vera-Tucker and Dylan Parham here. The Giants have been linked to cutting left guard Jon Runyan Jr., and two-year RG stopgap Greg Van Roten is unsigned.
PFR ranked all three guards among the top 50 free agents, though none of these options are bank-breaking candidates. Teller will turn 32 later this year and has missed a handful of games due to injuries in each of the past two seasons. I mentioned Teller as a Giants candidate in our Offseason Outlook offering due largely to the team having hired 2025 Browns O-line coach Mike Bloomgren. Teller is a two-time All-Pro who was part of a few high-end Bill Callahan O-lines; he is not expected back with the Browns for an eighth season.
Vera-Tucker is coming off yet another season-ending injury; he sustained a second triceps tear last September. Tearing both triceps during his time with the Jets, Vera-Tucker is also a quality performer when healthy. Pro Football Focus ranked him ninth among guards in 2024. Parham worked as a primary Raiders starter in each of his four seasons. With the Raiders changing coaching staffs yet again, Parham will be a candidate to move on.
The Giants also have a need at right tackle. They have spoken to Jermaine Eluemunor‘s camp about a second contract, after the 2024 UFA addition played out his $7MM-per-year deal, and Raanan adds the veteran RT is open to coming back. The sides have remained in contact as the legal tampering period (11am CT Monday) looms. Eluemunor, 31, is one of the top RT options available thanks largely to his pass protection. Eluemunor also has stayed healthier than the more accomplished Braden Smith, who has battled injuries in recent years.
Big Blue released James Hudson on Friday, ending a disappointing tenure that featured a bizarre penalty spree in Week 2 and a quick benching. The Giants will need to address that position. New York gave Hudson a two-year, $12MM deal in 2025 but was eyeing Morgan Moses as the preferred option to play behind Eluemunor and Andrew Thomas, per the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy. Moses, as it turned out, had starter work left after signing a three-year, $24MM Patriots deal.
Defensively, the Giants have some interest in John Franklin-Myers, Raanan adds. The former Jets starter played well for the Broncos (14.5 sacks in two seasons) and is viewed as by far the top interior D-line option on the market. A $20MM-per-year price tag has been floated for a soon-to-be 30-year-old player who was at $7.5MM AAV in Denver. With the Giants having Brian Burns and Dexter Lawrence on big-ticket deals, it might be a stretch for them to be the Franklin-Myers landing spot.
At safety, Raanan indicates Dane Belton is likely to depart as a free agent. He is poised to follow Julian Love and Xavier McKinney out the door at what has been a high-turnover position for the team. Ex-Harbaugh Ravens charge Ar’Darius Washington is a name to monitor in free agency, with Raanan adding Caleb Downs is on the team’s radar in the draft. Downs is widely expected to be one of the first players drafted, though safeties are almost never chosen in the top 10 (the Giants hold the No. 5 pick). The Ravens have received impact play from first-rounder Kyle Hamilton, and that organization has prioritized the position in the past.
Ohio State S Caleb Downs Declares For 2026 Draft
Ohio State safety and projected first-round pick Caleb Downs has declared for the 2026 NFL Draft (via Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer).
Downs, 21, was a five-star recruit out of Georgia who was thought to be the No. 1 safety in the class of 2023. He committed to Alabama, and not only did he earn a starting job as a freshman, he led the SEC in solo tackles. He finished 107 total tackles, plus 3.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, and four passes defended and earned SEC Freshman of the Year honors for his efforts.
Nick Saban’s retirement after the 2023 college football season led Downs to transfer to Ohio State, where he continued to dominate opposing offenses. He did not match his freshman-year raw tackle totals in Columbus, but he made more splash plays around the line of scrimmage while continuing similar ball production in the passing game.
Downs racked up the accolades in his two years at Ohio State, earning first-team Big 10 and All-American honors in both years, plus Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year and the Jim Thorpe Award in his final seasons. Downs also played a key role on the Buckeyes defense that ran through a gauntlet of tough offense on their way to the 2024 national championship.
Downs is currently considered the top safety prospect in the 2026 draft class by a significant margin. At the moment, he is the No. 1 prospect on Pro Football Focus’ big board and No. 11 on ESPN’s Mel Kiper’s rankings. As an early-declaring prospect with three years as a starter and the growing impact of versatile safeties in the NFL, Downs could be seen as a young cornerstone around which teams can build their entire defense.
The NFL has not spent top-10 picks on safeties in recent years. The highest drafted safety in the last five years was Kyle Hamilton, the 14th overall pick in 2022, while Jamal Adams (sixth overall, 2017) was the last one to go in the first 10 picks. Downs has the potential to have the same kind of multi-dimensional impact in an NFL defense, though landing under the right coach in the appropriate defensive scheme will still be important. Downs’ testing at the Combine could solidify his status as a top-10 prospect, but a poor showing could drop his stock similarly to Hamilton’s pre-draft fall.