| No. 1 –Indianapolis Colts | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (2001-08-12)August 12, 2001 (age 23) Suwanee, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 171 lb (78 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | North Gwinnett (Suwanee) | ||||||||
| College: | North Carolina (2020–2022) | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2023: 3rd round, 79th pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2024 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Joshua Downs (born August 12, 2001) is an American professionalfootballwide receiver for theIndianapolis Colts of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football atNorth Carolina.
Downs was born on August 12, 2001, inSuwanee, Georgia, and attendedNorth Gwinnett High School.[1] During his high school career he had 187 receptions for 3,019 yards and 32touchdowns. He was selected to play in the 2020All-American Bowl. He committed to theUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to playcollege football.[2]
As a true freshman at North Carolina in 2020, Downs appeared in 10 games. Playing primarily on special teams, he had seven receptions for 119 yards and three touchdowns. The first touchdown reception of his college career came againstN.C. State in Carolina's 48–21 victory. His breakout performance came in theOrange Bowl, where he filled in forDyami Brown, who, along withJavonte Williams,Michael Carter, andChazz Surratt, had opted out of the bowl to prepare for the NFL Draft. Downs caught four passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns, including a 75 yard touchdown on a broken play that gave the Tar Heels a 27–20 lead early in the fourth quarter. He was the team's leading receiver in the 41–27 loss toTexas A&M.[3]
Heading into the 2021 season, Downs was projected to be the team's number one receiver.[4][5] In the season-opening loss againstVirginia Tech, Downs caught eight passes for 123 yards and a touchdown as the Tar Heels failed to mount a successful second half comeback.[6] Two weeks later againstVirginia, he caught eight passes for 203 receiving yards and two touchdowns, setting a career high in the process.[7] Downs' 203 receiving yards against the Cavaliers were the eighth most in a single game in Tar Heel history.[8] AgainstWake Forest, he only caught four passes for 35 yards, both season lows. However, his 35 receiving yards against the Demon Deacons made him just the seventh player in school history to gain 1,000 or more receiving yards in a single season.[9] With eight receptions againstWofford, Downs moved into second place behindRyan Switzer for most receptions in a single season as a Tar Heel with 90.
In the regular season finale, a 34–30 loss againstNC State, Downs broke both Switzer's single season receptions record andHakeem Nicks' single season receiving yards record. He recorded three more catches in theDuke's Mayo Bowl loss toSouth Carolina, finishing his record-breaking 2021 season with 101 catches for 1,335 yards and eight touchdowns.[10]
Solidified as the Tar Heels' top receiver after his record-setting sophomore season, Downs was once again a featured piece in the Tar Heel offense. He was named to the preseason All-ACC team at the wide receiver and specialist (punt returner) positions, and was selected to the preseason AP All-American second-team at the wide receiver position.
In the season opener againstFAMU, Downs recorded nine catches for 78 yards and two touchdowns.[11] On his final catch of the game, Downs was injured and missed the next two games againstAppalachian State andGeorgia State. He returned againstNotre Dame, and caught five passes for 32 yards and two touchdowns in the Tar Heels' 45–32 loss.[12] Against Miami, Downs caught another touchdown pass, moving him into a tie for tenth place all time in Carolina history with 16 receiving touchdowns. He continued to post solid statistics the rest of the regular season, recording four games with 11-plus receptions, and recording another 1,000 yard receiving season. AgainstWake Forest, he caught three touchdown passes, moving him to second all-time behindQuinshad Davis for UNC career touchdown receptions with 22. In what was his final game as a Tar Heel, the2022 ACC Championship Game againstClemson, Downs caught 11 passes for 100 yards in the 39–10 loss to the Tigers.[13]
Downs finished his Carolina career with 2,483 receiving yards (the fourth most in school history), 202 career receptions (third most at UNC), and multiple school records at the wide receiver position. He declared for the NFL draft following conference championship week, opting out of theHoliday Bowl in the process.[14]
| North Carolina Tar Heels | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | G | Rec | Yards | Avg | TDs | |||||||||
| 2020 | 10 | 7 | 119 | 17.0 | 3 | |||||||||
| 2021 | 13 | 101 | 1,335 | 13.2 | 8 | |||||||||
| 2022 | 11 | 94 | 1,029 | 10.9 | 11 | |||||||||
| Career | 34 | 202 | 2,483 | 12.3 | 22 | |||||||||
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft8+3⁄4 in (1.75 m) | 171 lb (78 kg) | 30+3⁄8 in (0.77 m) | 9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m) | 4.48 s | 1.49 s | 2.53 s | 4.15 s | 6.75 s | 38.5 in (0.98 m) | 10 ft 11 in (3.33 m) | ||
| Sources:[15][16] | ||||||||||||
Downs was drafted by theIndianapolis Colts in the third round, 79th overall, of the2023 NFL draft. The Colts previously obtained the 79th overall pick in a trade that sentCarson Wentz to theWashington Commanders.[17] In Week 6, against the Jaguars, he scored his first professional touchdown on a two-yard reception from Gardner Minshew.[18] In Week 7, against the Browns, he had five receptions for 125 yards and a touchdown in the 39–38 loss.[19] He finished his rookie season second on the team in receiving and seventh among all rookies with 68 catches for 771 yards and two touchdowns.[20][21]
In Week 8 of the 2024 season, Downs had four receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown against the Houston Texans.[22] In the 2024 season, Downs had 72 receptions for 803 yards and five touchdowns.[23]
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2023 | IND | 17 | 9 | 68 | 771 | 11.3 | 59 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | IND | 14 | 8 | 72 | 803 | 11.2 | 69 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 31 | 17 | 140 | 1,574 | 11.2 | 69 | 7 | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Downs' father,Gary, played college football forNC State and is now an assistant coach.[24] His uncle,Dré Bly, also played with the Tar Heels and 11 years in the NFL.[25] His younger brother,Caleb, is a safety who played his freshman season atAlabama before transferring toOhio State.[26]