Taylor Rooks reveals she babysat one of the top prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft

Jackie Longo

Taylor Rooks reveals she babysat one of the top prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft image

Sports broadcaster Taylor Rooks used to babysit for one of the top prospects in the 2026 NFL draft. 

Before she was interviewing athletes, she was watching Josh and Caleb Downs as a teenager when their mom was at work. 

Rooks, 33, nannied for the two brothers from sixth grade until her senior year of high school, while she was growing up in Atlanta. 

Caleb, 21 is now expected to be a top 10 pick in the upcoming 2026 NFL draft, while Josh, 24, is a wide receiver with the Indianapolis Colts

 Rooks revealed the news in a Jan. 7 clip on X promoting her appearance on the "Downs 2 Business" podcast. 

She captioned the post, "the fact I was the longtime babysitter of Josh and Caleb Downs is one of the things that makes me say TIME FLIES (also wow I'm 33 lol)." 

READ MORE: Is Taylor Rooks married? What to know about NBA reporter's husband Shane Fowler

The Prime host clearly had no idea what the Downs' future would hold when she was playing with them as kids. She does, however, vividly remember the birth of 21-year-old Caleb, whom she described as the "sweetest little baby" who "always wanted to be held." At the same time, Josh, meanwhile,  already had a big personality  and always wanted to have things "his way" before he ever entered the NFL. The Colts WR was obsessed with the hip hop song "Lean Back" in his younger years, Rooks recalled, adding that little Caleb was scared of the family dog. 

In addition to the Downs brothers, Rooks also babysat their younger sister for their mom, Tanya, who was a teacher at Peachtree Ridge High School in Georgia. 

Rooks has risen to fame since she's left her babysitting duties behind. Before being hired by Amazon Prime, she worked at TNT and Bleacher Reporter (via Turner Sports). Prior to that she worked for the Big Ten Network, SNY and CBS Sports. 

The Prime host is no stranger to being around professional athletes in everyday life. Her father, Thomas, is one of the University of Illinois' best running backs of all time, and her great uncle, Lou Brock, is a Baseball Hall of Famer. 

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Senior Editor