Josh Downs Bio
Joshua Downs, known professionally as Josh Downs, is an American professional football wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels and was selected by the Colts in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft. Standing 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) and listed at 171 lb (78 kg), Downs has quickly developed into a reliable target in the Colts’ passing attack, known for his sharp route-running and dependable hands out of the slot.
Early Life and Background
Joshua Downs was born on August 12, 2001, in Suwanee, Georgia, and grew up in a household deeply connected to football. His father, Gary Downs, played college football for NC State and has gone on to work as an assistant coach, giving Josh an early understanding of the game’s demands. He is also the nephew of Dré Bly, a former North Carolina Tar Heel who spent 11 seasons in the NFL, and the older brother of Caleb Downs, a safety who played his freshman season at Alabama before transferring to Ohio State and later being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys. This family lineage gave Downs consistent exposure to high-level football from a young age.
Downs attended North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, where he developed into one of Georgia’s most productive receivers. During his high school career, he posted 187 receptions for 3,019 yards and 32 touchdowns, establishing himself as a premier playmaker. He was selected to play in the 2020 All-American Bowl, an honor reserved for the nation’s top high school seniors. Following his senior season, Downs committed to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to continue his football career at the college level.
Path to the NFL
Downs arrived at North Carolina as part of the 2020 recruiting class and quickly carved out a role on offense. As a true freshman in 2020, he appeared in 10 games, working primarily on special teams while still managing seven receptions for 119 yards and three touchdowns. His first collegiate touchdown came against NC State in a 48–21 victory, but his true arrival arrived in the Orange Bowl, where he filled in for several Tar Heels who had opted out to prepare for the NFL Draft. Downs caught four passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns in that game, including a 75-yard score on a broken play that gave Carolina a 27–20 lead in the fourth quarter.
Heading into the 2021 season, Downs was projected to be the Tar Heels’ number one receiver, and he delivered a record-setting sophomore campaign. He set a career high with eight catches for 203 yards and two touchdowns against Virginia, a single-game yardage total that ranks eighth in Tar Heel history. He later became the seventh player in school history to record 1,000 receiving yards in a single season and finished the year breaking both Ryan Switzer’s single-season receptions record and Hakeem Nicks’ single-season receiving yards record. Downs capped the 2021 season with 101 catches for 1,335 yards and eight touchdowns, earning First-team All-ACC honors for the first time.
Josh Downs Career
Junior Season at North Carolina (2022)
Downs entered his junior year solidified as the Tar Heels’ top receiver and was named to the preseason All-ACC team at wide receiver and as a punt returner, while also earning preseason AP All-American second-team recognition. He opened the season against Florida A&M with nine catches for 78 yards and two touchdowns before missing time with an injury. After returning against Notre Dame, he caught five passes for 32 yards and two touchdowns, and he later posted four games with 11-plus receptions en route to another 1,000-yard receiving season.
In his final game as a Tar Heel, the 2022 ACC Championship Game against Clemson, Downs caught 11 passes for 100 yards in a 39–10 loss to the Tigers. He finished his Carolina career with 2,483 receiving yards (fourth most in school history) and 202 career receptions (third most at UNC), holding multiple school records at the wide receiver position. Downs was again named First-team All-ACC for the 2022 season, giving him two consecutive selections. Following conference championship week, he declared for the 2023 NFL Draft and opted out of the Holiday Bowl.
Indianapolis Colts Rookie Season (2023)
Downs was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the third round, 79th overall, of the 2023 NFL Draft. The Colts had acquired the 79th overall pick in a trade that sent Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders. He quickly became a contributor in the Colts’ offense, scoring his first professional touchdown on a two-yard reception from Gardner Minshew against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 6. A week later against the Cleveland Browns, he posted five receptions for 125 yards and a touchdown in a narrow 39–38 loss.
Downs finished his rookie campaign as the Colts’ second-leading receiver, ending the year with 68 catches for 771 yards and two touchdowns. That production ranked him seventh among all NFL rookies, signaling a smooth transition to the professional level.
Indianapolis Colts Veteran Seasons (2024–2025)
In Week 8 of the 2024 season, Downs delivered one of his strongest individual performances, hauling in four receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown against the Houston Texans. He closed out the year with 72 receptions for 803 yards and five touchdowns, reinforcing his role as a steady option in the Colts’ passing game. Through the 2025 season, he has added 58 receptions for 566 yards and four touchdowns to his career totals.
As of the 2025 season, Downs has accumulated 198 career receptions for 2,140 receiving yards and 11 receiving touchdowns, all with Indianapolis. His continued production has made him a central figure in the Colts’ offensive plans heading into the back half of the schedule.
Driving Style and Strengths
Downs is widely regarded as a precise route-runner with exceptional quickness in and out of breaks, allowing him to create separation against both man and zone coverage. His compact frame and low center of gravity make him elusive after the catch, and he has shown the football IQ to thrive from the slot, where he can exploit soft spots in underneath coverage. His reliability on third down and his ability to contribute as a punt returner have given Indianapolis a versatile chess piece on game day.
Notable Events and Milestones
Downs’ signature college moment came in the Orange Bowl, where his 75-yard broken-play touchdown showed the explosiveness that would later define his professional profile. He also set North Carolina’s single-season receptions and receiving yards records in 2021, marks previously held by Ryan Switzer and Hakeem Nicks. In the NFL, his 125-yard, one-touchdown performance against the Browns in 2023 and his 109-yard outing against the Texans in 2024 stand out as early benchmarks of his pro ceiling.
Josh Downs Career Wins
While individual wide receivers do not post wins in the traditional sense, Josh Downs has produced several of the most productive receiving performances of his career in Indianapolis and at North Carolina. His college highlights include record-setting outputs and a memorable Orange Bowl performance, while his professional resume features multiple 100-yard receiving games and a steady pace of touchdown production.
Indianapolis Colts Highlights
Since joining the Colts in 2023, Downs has emerged as one of the team’s most reliable pass-catchers. He scored his first NFL touchdown against the Jaguars in Week 6 of his rookie year and followed it with a 125-yard performance against the Browns in Week 7. He added a 109-yard, one-touchdown outing against the Texans in Week 8 of 2024 and has continued to add steady production in 2025. Through the 2025 season, he has totaled 198 receptions for 2,140 yards and 11 touchdowns for Indianapolis.
Other Wins & Perfromances
Downs was selected to the 2020 All-American Bowl following his senior season at North Gwinnett High School. He earned First-team All-ACC honors in both 2021 and 2022 and was a preseason AP All-American second-team selection entering his junior year.
Josh Downs Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Football runs deep in the Downs family. Josh’s father, Gary Downs, played college football at NC State and has built a coaching career, giving Josh firsthand insight into professional preparation. His uncle, Dré Bly, played at North Carolina and spent 11 seasons in the NFL, providing another direct connection to the professional ranks.
Personal Life
Josh is the older brother of Caleb Downs, a talented safety who played his freshman season at Alabama, transferred to Ohio State, and was later drafted by the Dallas Cowboys. The brothers have both starred on defense and offense at the highest levels of college football, making them one of the most notable sibling tandems in recent memory. Josh continues to reside in the United States as an active member of the Indianapolis Colts.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 campaign has continued Josh Downs’ trajectory as a dependable target for the Indianapolis Colts. Through the season to date, he has posted 58 receptions for 566 yards and four touchdowns, building on the momentum he generated in 2024. His production has helped stabilize the Colts’ passing game and provided quarterback stability through the heart of the schedule.
Looking ahead, Downs remains a focal point of Indianapolis’ offensive scheme, with his quickness and route precision giving the Colts a reliable option on intermediate routes. The relationship between Downs and the Colts’ coaching staff, paired with his continued growth as a professional, suggests he will be a key contributor in the season’s closing stretch.
For a player still early in his career, Josh Downs has already established himself as one of the more productive young slot receivers in the AFC. With 198 career receptions, 2,140 receiving yards, and 11 receiving touchdowns through 2025, he continues to build a strong foundation in Indianapolis and remains a central piece of the Colts’ long-term plans.
