Cowboys Behind The Scenes: Brian Schottenheimer Reveals Caleb Downs Draft-Day Truths
· Yahoo Sports
The Dallas Cowboys, for most, aced the NFL Draft thanks in part to one selection the franchise made, and that was Caleb Downs.
Seen as one of the best defensive prospects in the draft, Downs fell to the Cowboys, who eventually traded up one spot with the Miami Dolphins to take the Ohio State star.
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Now seen as a centerpiece of Christian Parker's new-look defense, this offseason, Downs has been as advertised.
In OTAs, and minicamp, Downs has been exactly what Dallas wanted him to be, with head coach Brian Schottenheimer stating he "doesn't make the same mistake twice."
Cowboys Nation was over the moon that Downs found his way to The Star, and we didn't exactly know Dallas' plans on draft night, as each team likes to keep it close to the vest.
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But Schottenheimer, who was on the Twins Take podcast, detailed that the Cowboys actually had a deal in place with Kansas City to move up in the first round.
"We had four guys targeted that we really felt really strongly about that would fit great in our culture and our football team, and Caleb was at the top of that list," Schottenheimer said.
"We had a trade in place with Kansas City that we were hoping to be able to make a move for. Well, they moved up early for Mansor Delane. And so we were like, okay, we've lost that opportunity."
Once the Chiefs took Delane, all eyes were on the next few selections as it had the chance to greatly impact what Dallas could do.
Sonny Styles, Jordyn Tyson, and Spencer Fano all went inside the top 10, leaving the New York Giants as the one team we all knew loved Downs.
If there was a selection that could have torpedoed Dallas' offseason, it was this one.
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For the Giants to get both Styles and Downs? Yeah, that's nightmare fuel, but thankfully, New York dropped the ball, taking Francis Mauigoa, and when it did, Dallas sprang into action with Downs still on the board.
"As Caleb started to fall, the Giants were on the clock at 10, we thought they would take him because we knew Coach Harbaugh had talked about how much he saw him as a generational safety," Schottenheimer added. "When they didn't take him, he fell to 11. The phone rang. We were talking back and forth with Miami.
"We could have sat and waited, but we were concerned someone might move up ahead of us at 12, everyone knew that we were interested in Caleb. When Jerry and Stephen acted quickly along with Will McClay, and made the move, we were stoked. It was great."
Stoked might be an understatement, as the Cowboys got one of the best defensive prospects in the draft, and didn't have to give up the farm to get him.
Yes, Dallas got a little lucky with so many teams passing on Downs, but in the draft, sometimes you need a little luck, and now that Downs is a Cowboy, the hope and optimism among fans is largely because of him.
A lot of things could have derailed Dallas' offseason when the draft began, but lady luck smiled down on America's Team...for once.