FRISCO, Texas -- Darren Woodson was like millions of others Thursday, watching the first round of the NFL draft.
When the Dallas Cowboys selected Ohio State safety Caleb Downs with the No. 11 pick, Woodson erupted in joy. He went to X and typed out a quick response: "Yes sirrr!"
"I've just looked at [Dallas] defensively and half the battle is getting lined up, and I've watched this team play and they're out of position. The offense motions over and they're slow getting there. All that," said Woodson, the Cowboys' all-time leading tackler and member of the Ring of Honor. "The cerebral part of the game has been more of an issue than the physical issue, to me.
"They've been looking for a quarterback in that secondary, like a real football player, like a guy who wants to play. Really like a student of the game. You hear [former Alabama coach] Nick Saban talk about him and [OSU defensive coordinator] Matt Patricia, [Patricia] coached a lot of good players in New England, and you're hearing them talking about him in this way and there's got to be something there."
Yes sirrr! pic.twitter.com/g7gOe0cmsO
As Woodson talked, he could hear one of his former coaches, Bill Parcells, in his head saying, "Put away the anointing oil. Let him get in the door. Let him play."
"I get all that, but there's something to be said for what everybody says about [Downs]," Woodson said. "I don't know what it's going to look like as far as the transitioning of the game, covering the slot, all those things, but the mental aspect of everything says a lot to me."
The Cowboys are going to ask Downs to do things that Woodson did in his 12-year career with the Cowboys that led him to being a 2026 finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Downs might be listed as a safety, like Woodson was for all those years, but he will be so much more. He will play in the slot and be asked to cover tight ends, running backs and receivers. He will be asked to set the edge in the running game. He will be asked to blitz.
"I feel confident in my ability to play wherever they need, be it if that's the nickel, in the slot, then that's what I'm going to do at a high level," Downs said.
His familiarity with Woodson, however, is not too great.
"But definitely looking forward to learning more," Downs said.
The Cowboys selected safety Caleb Downs 11th and defensive end Malachi Lawrence 23rd in Round 1 on Thursday. AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez Downs' father, Gary, who played six years in the NFL as a running back with the Giants and Falcons, spanning the Cowboys' Super Bowl run of the 1990s, saw Woodson's social media post.