(Editor’s Note: Time to check the mail! The DallasCowboys.com staff writers answer your questions here in ‘Mailbag’ presented by Miller Lite.)
I am in no way suggesting that Caleb Downs isn’t everything he is projected to be in terms of playmaking ability, football acumen, IQ and leadership, but I feel the brakes need to be tapped a little bit. Remember, he is a young rookie who will have to earn his stripes. Is it a worry that the expectations are through the roof? – Bradey Burton/State College, PA
Mickey: Well, you have point here, the expectations are indeed through the roof. But you know what, aren’t they always when you are selected in the top half of the first round? And guess what, at every level, at every stop Caleb Downs has knocked it out of the part. Why his freshman year at Alabama under Nick Saban, and the stage doesn’t get much bigger than that at 18 years old, Downs was selected SEC Freshman of the Year. Then he transfers to Ohio State after Saban retires, receives a $50,000 NIL deal and becomes a two-time unanimous All-American, plus a team captain. At 21 declares for the draft. Nothing has ever been too big for him and will let him answer your question for you. When asked how he will deal with the NFL stage being so big, he nonchalantly said, “I been on big stages before.”