While there wasn't an overabundance of big surprises on Thursday night in the opening round of the 2026 NFL Draft, it was a little bit shocking to see the Minnesota Vikings use the No. 18 overall pick to select Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks.
The reason for that, of course, is that the vast majority of mock drafts over the past few months had Minnesota taking Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman, who was still on the board when the Vikes went on the clock but ultimately fell to none other than the rival Chicago Bears at No. 25.
But what's done is done, and while there are concerns about Banks' left foot, which kept him from appearing in all but three games for the Gators this past year and will now keep him from participating in full football activities until June after he suffered a fractured fourth metatarsal at the NFL Scouting Combine, Minnesota is still getting one of the top interior defenders in this entire class.
As FanSided's NFL Draft Big Board points out, Banks isn't a perfect player, but the upside is there, and there's certainly no getting around the fact that his athleticism is off the charts when he's at full strength.
"Banks has two major red flags. On top of the fact he played in just a handful of games due to an injury, he is not a very good run stuffer despite the size advantage he had. He's still worth a high pick in the draft, as there are some genuinely rare traits that he has in athletic prowess. Banks' movement skills for his size are special, and it isn't hyperbole to suggest the ceiling for him could be an All-Pro tackle."
The Vikings (and their fans, of course) are naturally hoping Banks can get healed and partner with Jalen Redmond to wreak havoc in the trenches, but we'll obviously just have to wait and see how things play out.
In the meantime, let's have a look at how some experts around the business are feeling about Minnesota's selection.
The decision by the Minnesota Vikings to draft Caleb Banks is getting mixed reviews
PFF: Average
Ben Linsey of Pro Football Focus didn't go with letter grades in his analysis of the first round, instead using a range that topped out at "Elite" and bottomed out at "Poor." As for the Vikings' selection of Banks, he simply rolled with "Average," with this being his reasoning:
"This is a significant reach based on the Consensus Big Board, but the fit in Brian Flores’ defense makes sense. Banks’ length and strength give the Vikings a unique presence on the defensive front that they can move across a variety of alignments, even if his production didn’t stand out at the collegiate level."
The Athletic: C+
Moving to the normal letter grades, Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic basically went the average route as well, giving Minnesota a C+ for the pick:
"This is bold (if that’s the right word). When Banks is healthy and engaged with his technique, he’s a serious problem — on talent alone, he’s definitely DT1 in this class. However, he’s not a very consistent player, and despite his athletic potential, he could bust. Banks (6-6, 330) has had two serious foot injuries in less than a year, and many teams dropped him out of the first round after he broke his foot at the combine.
"The Vikings could’ve had a perfect fit to fill a need here, in Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman. Instead, they made a serious gamble on a recently injured, albeit very talented, athlete. It’s too big a risk for my taste, though I could easily be proven wrong in a year. We’ll see."
CBS Sports: D
Mike Renner of CBS Sports was much harsher, giving the Vikings a D grade, as he seems very worried about the foot issue:
"Banks is the most prodigious physical talent in this defensive tackle class. At 6-foot-6, 327 pounds with an over 7-foot wingspan, when he fires off low into contact, he's nearly impossible to block. The worry is that we never saw it consistently before his 2025 season was cut short with a foot injury that required surgery. He then had another foot surgery after an injury suffered during the combine week. That's a big swing for the Vikings to take at 18."
Yahoo Sports: A-
Charles McDonald of Yahoo Sports certainly went in the other direction, as he genuinely loved the selection, giving the Vikes an A-:
"This might be the highest grade on Banks you’ll see, but this guy can really do all the hard stuff in terms of defeating blocks and understanding leverage within a true top-1% athletic frame. The injury and lack of finishing makes him a risky pick, but he does so many other things at a high level."
USA Today: C
Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz of USA Today stuck right in the middle, giving the VIkings a straight C grade:
"It's easy to see the appeal of Banks, a 6-6, 327-pound interior force with unparalleled explosion off the ball. Yet Banks has been waylaid by multiple foot injuries in the last year, and staying healthy could be a considerable concern. Banks also struggles to finish plays as a tackler once he gets in range of a ball carrier. There's massive upside here for him to thrive in Brian Flores' scheme, but this could also go awry if Banks can't become a consistent performer."
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