The Vikings went big on Thursday night, in more ways than one. Their selection of giant Florida defensive lineman Caleb Banks with the 18th overall pick in this year’s draft comes with major risk and massive upside. Banks has a rare combination of size and athleticism, but his recent history of foot injuries makes this pick a real gamble.
We made our instant grade when the pick happened. Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell and GM Rob Brzezinski have explained why Banks was their pick. Now let’s see what various national draft analysts think of the selection by rounding up some grades from across the internet. Spoiler alert: Opinions are varied.
Of course, only time will tell if the Vikings made the right choice. Immediate draft grades shouldn’t be taken for anything more than what they are, which is an interesting look at how people who cover the league view a team’s decision in the moment.
If Banks were consistently healthy throughout his college career, he’d have been a surefire first-round pick. However, in being limited to just 34 games across five collegiate seasons, there are lingering questions. When on the field, the 327-pounder showed burst and agility on the interior. In 2024, Banks played 12 games for the Gators and amassed 4.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss, but only suited up for three contests last year due to a foot injury.
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.
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.
Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA Today: C
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.
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.
This could go down as one of the biggest gambles of the entire draft. When healthy, Banks has elite upside, bringing rare movement skills and incredible power at 6-foot-6 and 327 pounds. But injury is a major, major concern here: Banks missed almost all of the 2025 season with a foot injury, then broke his foot at the NFL combine. The Vikings are clearly comfortable enough to roll the dice, but it feels like a massive risk, especially for a player of Banks’s size.
Like the Dolphins and the Rams, the Vikings are swinging for the fences with this selection. Banks’ highlight reel is full of top-10-caliber plays. But it’s a short reel, as Banks struggled to stay on the field throughout his college career. The Vikings recently made Brian Flores the highest-paid defensive coordinator ever, so clearly he feels confident he can unlock Banks’ undeniable potential. Still, this is as risky as it gets.
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