Former Florida Gator and 2026 first-round selection Caleb Banks is yet to touch an NFL playing field, yet expectations are already weighty for the Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman.
NFL.com named Banks among 12 rookies who “need to succeed” immediately in their first professional season. The list also includes former LSU Tiger Mansoor Delane, who was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs with the No. 6 overall pick. Joining them is another former SEC athlete — Germie Bernard out of Alabama, who was picked No. 47 overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Banks was praised for his tremendous upside, a reason Minnesota will be counting on the 6-foot-6-inch, 327-pound defender from the start of his time in the Twin Cities. Brian Flores’ group ranked No. 21 against the run last season, a designation the franchise hopes a player like Banks will help elevate next season.
The Vikings nixed both Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargraves in March as a result of the decline, bringing in two early-round picks in Banks and Jalen Redmond to fill in the gaps.
“Banks is an imposing physical specimen — and a rare athlete for his size,” NFL editor Gennaro Filice says. “But over the past year, he’s been significantly limited by foot issues; no small thing for a man this big. If he’s right, Banks could provide the Vikes with an interior game-wrecker in the Chris Jones mold. If not? The DT search continues.”
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