Minnesota Vikings rookie DT Caleb Banks, whom the team selected 18th overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, has had a tumultuous start to his NFL career. He missed all of OTAs after breaking his foot at the NFL Scouting Combine, and his performances throughout training camp and the preseason fell flat.
Notably, he’s been significantly outplayed by fellow rookie defensive tackle Domonique Orange, whom the team selected in the third round. While Banks has a significantly higher ceiling (which couldn’t be any higher than it is for the position) than Orange, the Iowa State product has a much safer floor and lower volatility between his ceiling and floor.
However, not everyone is jumping on the Caleb Banks disappointment train. In fact, the folks over at ESPN believe he can be a dark horse in the Defensive Rookie of the Year conversation. He landed at fourth place in Pamela Maldonado’s DROTY prediction on their annual rookie guide article.
“Banks enters the season with a starting opportunity on Minnesota’s defensive line, and he has the size to become an immediate interior disruptor. Although his college production was inconsistent, his pass-rush upside was considered among the best of the interior defensive linemen in his class. Coordinator Brian Flores can also move the No. 18 pick around his multiple-front defense to create favorable matchups. Banks’ first-round pedigree and disruptive ability give him a reasonable path to win this award,” Maldonado wrote.
Many Believe Caleb Banks Could Use A Redshirt Season
That assessment is in stark contrast with virtually every other one surrounding Banks thus far. He desperately needs to improve a few areas of his game, including his pad level and conditioning.
The University of Florida product knows that, as well. “There are some things that I need to work on, definitely pad level,” Banks told reporters following the team’s first preseason game against the New York Giants. “Just playing some blocks, but that comes with the game. It’s going to take time.”
Those were also considered his most glaring weaknesses entering the league. He’s also correct that it’s going to take time to shore up those areas of his game. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein doesn’t think he’ll be able to do so this season.
In fact, he thinks Banks will play a contributing role on the Vikings’ interior, finishing his rookie campaign with only 16 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and 1 sack. “Conditioning and consistency issues plague the 6-6, 327-pounder early in the season, leading to a modest snap count and sparse production.” Zierlein wrote.
Can He Still Manage To Thrive While Learning On The Fly?
With that said, Banks still has a boatload of talent. He has enough god-given ability to be selected 18th overall despite lingering injury concerns. The Vikings’ front office and coaching staff clearly believe in what he can do, and there’s little doubt whether his preseason performance disproved that belief.
The 23-year-old certainly has enough talent to carve out a significant role on Minnesota’s defense relatively quickly if he can work through the kinks. That’s a scenario where he could still make his mark while battling through the growing pains expected from a player in his position.
Projecting him to put up a Defensive Rookie of the Year stat line is a bit of a stretch in my opinion. However, I can certainly see the vision where he shows flashes (especially in the pass-rush department) for Minnesota this season.
Caleb Banks Earns Surprising Consideration In Defensive Rookie Of The Year Prediction