INDIANAPOLIS — Indulging in the steakhouse experience at one of the many fine establishments downtown Indianapolis has to offer is a must during NFL combine week.
There are an impressive number of steakhouses in the area between the Indiana Convention Center and Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where the Indiana Pacers play home games. My good friend, Adam Hill, who covers the Raiders for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, said he’s counted at least 14 different steakhouses while walking around in that vicinity this week.
But, apparently, eating at one of the Steak ‘n Shakes is also a must. Hill practically forced me to have lunch there on Wednesday when he learned that I had never been to one before. Spending all of my life on the West Coast, it’s rare to see a Steak ‘n Shake, the fast food chain from the Midwest. Honestly, I always thought it was the same thing as Shake Shack. You know, sort of like Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s. Same food, different name.
Initially, I was hesitant to do the Steak ‘n Shake experience because part of the reason why reporters make the trip to Indianapolis during combine week is to be around NFL decision-makers as much as possible. You never know who you’ll run into, and no way was I going to see anyone important at a fast-food place.
However, I was wrong. I saw new Ravens coach, Jesse Minter. He didn’t walk into the Steak ‘n Shake, but I saw him walking by through the window while I criticized the thin fries. It wouldn’t hurt if the fries added some weight. Now, I’m starting to sound like an NFL scout talking to a draft prospect during an 18-minute formal meeting. (My ears are still ringing from hearing reporters shout, “Have you met with X team?”)
Anyway, let’s make the fries bigger, Shake Shack. I mean Steak ‘n Shake. It’s not like I’m asking for a draft prospect to have longer arms. (It’s wild how many people care about Rueben Bain Jr.’s arm length.)
Overall, I enjoyed the western BBQ burger at Steak ‘n Shake. Lots of value for the affordable hamburger meal, similar to how teams get a do-it-all safety in the back end of the first round or early in the second round. But Ohio State’s Caleb Downs is the rare kind of safety that likely won’t come at a value price. He’s worth the cost of a high first-round pick.
Caleb Downs on the lack of value NFL teams show the safety position. He said it’s about how a defender affects the game #NFLCombine pic.twitter.com/NvVckP6Kla
— Gilberto Manzano (@GManzano24) February 26, 2026
All right, I’m done with the food scouting reports. Let’s get to what we heard and saw from the defensive backs who spoke on Thursday morning.
Caleb Downs worth a top-15 pick, says NFL defensive coordinator
Downs is regarded as a top-10 prospect, but safeties rarely get drafted in the top 15 of the first round.
Kyle Hamilton, perhaps the best safety in football, had to wait until pick No. 14 to hear his name called by the Ravens in 2022. Last year, Baltimore made Malaki Starks the first safety taken in the draft at pick No. 27. Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori had a dominant rookie season in 2025, but he was selected in the second round.
On Thursday, Downs didn’t seem too concerned about the lack of value NFL teams have shown the safety position in recent years.
“It’s not really positional value,” Downs said. “It’s who affects the game. If you affect the game in a lot of ways, that’s what’s most important. That’s really all I can worry about. Honestly, I can’t worry about what anybody else says or what the coaches have done. At the end of the day, my film is what it is and they’re going to make a decision based off of that.”
Apparently, Downs’s film says he’s worth the premium price, because a defensive coordinator texted me that he believes the Ohio State product is worth a top-15 pick. We’ll find out where Downs lands on April 23.
Plenty of depth at cornerback this year
I got my steps in walking back and forth to hear from the top cornerbacks in the NFL draft. LSU’s Mansoor Delane, Clemson’s Avieon Terrell and Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy and Colton Hood all spoke at the same time during the 9 a.m. ET podium session on Thursday.
Mansoor Delane on what makes him the top cornerback in the 2026 NFL draft pic.twitter.com/UmFxxUpnkx
— Gilberto Manzano (@GManzano24) February 26, 2026
Obviously, all of them were asked to explain why they’re the best cornerback in the draft.
Delane, who’s viewed as a top-10 prospect, kept his response short.
“Cut the film on, it speaks for itself,” he said.
Hood provided an example of his competitiveness, saying he asked to defend Tetairoa McMillan in his first collegiate start. Hood claims he got the best of the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year that day.
“I’m not worried about speed,” Hood said. “I’m fast myself and I’m never concerned at all [about what receivers do on the field].”
CB Colton Hood wants to face the best receivers. He asked to defend Tetairoa McMillan in college #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/KzDlnesjKv
— Gilberto Manzano (@GManzano24) February 26, 2026
Terrell provided a scouting report of himself.
“I’m not scared of nothing,” the younger brother of Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell said. “I hear a lot of size [concerns], but at the end of the day, I’m going in to make the tackle and I’m here. I’m in the weight room, too. That’s my scouting report. I ain’t scared of nobody.”
As for McCoy, he highlighted his strength in shadowing No. 1 passing options.
“I did a lot of traveling in college, following guys around,” McCoy said. “That’s something I’m used to.”
This could be a good year for teams in need of cornerback help.
Keionte Scott’s fascinating junior college story
Scott, the Miami standout, is another cornerback who could hear his name called in the first two rounds.
But Scott had to work his way up before landing with the Hurricanes this season, helping them advance to the national title game against Indiana. Scott spent two seasons at Snow College in Utah before transferring to Auburn in 2022, where he had to fight for playing time.
Scott said offensive linemen at the junior college level would go after him once they found out that he had received interest from Division-I programs.
“When you start to pick up offers, you turn into a bigger target,” Scott said. “You got offensive tackles running way out of their formation where they’re not supposed to be to come get film on you. It’s just how it is. … You never know who’s coming around and everybody is trying to give you their best game.”
D’Angelo Ponds gets a pond named after him
Ponds, the cornerback who starred at Indiana, was asked whether he had seen the pond that the city of Bloomington named after him for a week. He said yes, but the pond was frozen when he went to visit. But, hey, at least he got a picture next to the pond.
“That was pretty cool for the city of Bloomington to do that for me,” he said.
And with that, that’s my cue to head home to where ponds don’t freeze. Can’t wait to come back to Indianapolis for more steaks and fast food burgers next year.
Indiana CB D’Angelo Ponds saw the pond that the city of Bloomington named after him for a week but it was frozen when he went 😅 pic.twitter.com/8b6szAuFfF
— Gilberto Manzano (@GManzano24) February 26, 2026
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL Combine Sights and Sounds Day 3: Steak ‘n Shake, Ponds and Cornerback Depth.
