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Mansoor Delane or Caleb Downs for the Washington Commanders?
The Team 980 afternoon host, Chris Russell, spent some time on Wednesday looking at the options if the Commanders are on the clock and must select from the two, whether they want the first corner chosen in this draft, or the first safety.
"Leader, smart, high IQ, great hitter, great communicator is what so many see in the Ohio State safety." Then Russell asked his listeners to consider a possible reality. The Ohio State Buckeyes were absolutely loaded on defense this past season. Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles, and Caleb Downs, what do they have in common? Well, all could very easily be drafted in the top 10 in the 2026 NFL Draft. So, Russell asked whether the reality of this situation might be that Downs had such great people playing in front of him that he had little to worry about. "Is Downs perhaps a product of all of that great talent that was in front of him for the Buckeyes?" asked Russell.
Russell then proposed that cornerback is much more of a need for this current Commanders team than is a new safety, like Caleb Downs. "I see why everybody loves him, I just don't know if I see special (in Caleb Downs), like special at an NFL level. I just don't know if I see that." Meanwhile, while watching the film, Russell says he saw Delane playing outside corner on the left and on the right, then moved up into the slot, all in one game.
When focusing on Delane, the LSU corner, in watching film, Russell said that everything he thought he knew about Delane checked out. Russell said he thought, "well what kind of quarterback was Delane going up against in the film he was watching?" The film was from an LSU game last season against SEC rival Alabama, and Ty Simpson. Simpson is the other quarterback who could be taken in the first round in this year's draft. And the receivers at Alabama were very good competition for Delane in man-to-man coverage.
So, if the Commanders find themselves on the clock and both Downs (safety) and Delane (corner) are still available, who should the Commanders select on April 23? "I am not saying Caleb Downs is not good. Caleb Downs is an outstanding football player," concluded Russell. "I like Mansoor Delane better." Russell then added. "I am not Adam Peters."
He's right, he's not Adam Peters, and neither are any of us. That is why it is so easy for us to sit and around and act like we "know" whom the Commanders should or shouldn't select at No. 7 in the first round.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Mansoor Delane or Caleb Downs?
Continue reading...
The Team 980 afternoon host, Chris Russell, spent some time on Wednesday looking at the options if the Commanders are on the clock and must select from the two, whether they want the first corner chosen in this draft, or the first safety.
"Leader, smart, high IQ, great hitter, great communicator is what so many see in the Ohio State safety." Then Russell asked his listeners to consider a possible reality. The Ohio State Buckeyes were absolutely loaded on defense this past season. Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles, and Caleb Downs, what do they have in common? Well, all could very easily be drafted in the top 10 in the 2026 NFL Draft. So, Russell asked whether the reality of this situation might be that Downs had such great people playing in front of him that he had little to worry about. "Is Downs perhaps a product of all of that great talent that was in front of him for the Buckeyes?" asked Russell.
Russell then proposed that cornerback is much more of a need for this current Commanders team than is a new safety, like Caleb Downs. "I see why everybody loves him, I just don't know if I see special (in Caleb Downs), like special at an NFL level. I just don't know if I see that." Meanwhile, while watching the film, Russell says he saw Delane playing outside corner on the left and on the right, then moved up into the slot, all in one game.
When focusing on Delane, the LSU corner, in watching film, Russell said that everything he thought he knew about Delane checked out. Russell said he thought, "well what kind of quarterback was Delane going up against in the film he was watching?" The film was from an LSU game last season against SEC rival Alabama, and Ty Simpson. Simpson is the other quarterback who could be taken in the first round in this year's draft. And the receivers at Alabama were very good competition for Delane in man-to-man coverage.
So, if the Commanders find themselves on the clock and both Downs (safety) and Delane (corner) are still available, who should the Commanders select on April 23? "I am not saying Caleb Downs is not good. Caleb Downs is an outstanding football player," concluded Russell. "I like Mansoor Delane better." Russell then added. "I am not Adam Peters."
He's right, he's not Adam Peters, and neither are any of us. That is why it is so easy for us to sit and around and act like we "know" whom the Commanders should or shouldn't select at No. 7 in the first round.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Mansoor Delane or Caleb Downs?
Continue reading...
