EAGAN, Minn. — Receiving "the" phone call from the Minnesota Vikings was pretty surreal for Caleb Banks.

So much so that his brother had to remind him to pick up.

"I kind of had the jitters the whole entire day. I was hoping that it [would be] the Vikings [who called]," a smiling Banks told Twin Cities media members Thursday night. "When I got the call, I seen it and I seen the Vikings, and I jumped and looked at my brother. He was like, 'You've gotta answer it.'

"I'm like, 'All right,' " Banks laughed. "The family was there. It was great. It's a blessing, honestly. I'm just happy. I'm happy that I'm here in this situation. I'm blessed."

Feelings are mutual between Banks and the Vikings, who opened the 2026 NFL Draft by tabbing the former Florida standout with the 18^th overall pick.

Minnesota Head Coach Kevin O'Connell told Twin Cities media members that the team is "really excited about adding a player of Caleb's talent."

"Really felt like we were able to identify a player with a ceiling — what we believe to be a top-10 caliber talent and difference-maker potentially in a place where we really wanted to add some size and youth to that defensive line," O'Connell added.

Listed at 6-foot-6 and 327 pounds, Banks boasted the longest wingspan at the NFL Combine, measuring a whopping 7 feet, 1.125 inches. That wingspan landed in the 99^th percentile for defensive tackles and is the longest recorded at the combine since 1999.

"His traits are off the charts," Vikings Executive Vice President of Football Operations Rob Brzezinski said. "You don't find guys like this. He's got all the ability in the world. I told him, I don't even think he realizes how good he can be. And with our coaching staff and the work he's going to put in, I think the sky's the limit.

"He's got to get healthy, he's got to go to camp, he's got to earn a job, but he's got all the potential," Brzezinski added.

Banks played only three games for the Gators in 2025 and recorded six tackles, one tackle for loss and one fumble recovery, missing most of the campaign due to a foot injury that required surgery.

O'Connell and Brzezinski were each asked about their confidence level in Banks' health considering the foot injury. Both emphasized trust in the Vikings medical staff and orthopedic doctors.

"We spent a lot of time just making sure we all felt really good about it so that Caleb can come here with the excitement that we have for him," O'Connell said. "And quite honestly as coaches, we can't wait to coach this player."

Added Brzezinski: "There's nothing without risk in any player you select, but we feel very good about where Caleb will be when it's time to go to training camp, so we're comfortable with the injury."

Banks has 34 collegiate games (24 starts) under his belt for Louisville and Florida and totaled 48 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 10.5 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, three passes defensed and a blocked field goal.

"Where we're at from a standpoint of a league right now, the disruption of the quarterback on those weighty downs, we clearly know how to do it with our scheme — [Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores] and his staff have done as good a job as anybody developing a scheme that is a problem," O'Connell said. "It's really been some time since we really invested an early pick in the interior of the defensive line, and we wanted to make sure that throughout the process of evaluating the defensive group, the offensive group, as a whole — we found ourselves in a position at pick 18 to have the opportunity to select a player with that kind of upside and ability.

O'Connell acknowledged it would have been nice to have a "full inventory" of tape from the 2025 season, but the consensus from Flores, Defensive Running Game Coordinator Ryan Nielsen, who is new to the coaching staff year; and Minnesota's scouting and coaching personnel that taking a leap on Banks was the right move.

Banks intends to prove them right.

"When I went on a [Top] 30 visit, I remember [Coach Flores] sat all the players down and said, 'I'm just telling y'all right now, if we pick you, we're going to get after it," he recounted. "That's the first thing he said, and I'm like, 'Oh yeah, I'm all for that.' I love it."

Banks expressed gratitude for the extra time spent with Flores as well as Nielsen, who also visited with him in Florida prior to the draft. Though he's certainly confident in who he is on the football field, he's equally open to coaching and critique.

"I feel like I'm a freak athlete," Banks said. "Not a lot of guys have the skill set I have, but I feel like if I developed my tools … I could be dangerous.

"I love the game," he said. "I love everything that comes with it. From the work, to the long nights, the early mornings, the hard work in the weight room, I love it all."

Following the Vikings selection of Banks, NFL Media's Daniel Jeremiah said on the broadcast, "If you hit on this one, you can end up with an All-Pro."

"He's got all that ability," Jeremiah said. "When he's at his best, you cannot move him. He uses those 35-inch arms. He locks out blockers, and you can't move him. … Against the run, he's going to reset the line of scrimmage. He's just too big and long and powerful."

NFL Media's Bucky Brooks and analytics site Pro Football Focus ranked Banks as the second-best defensive lineman in this year's draft class, while Jeremiah listed him No. 3. The Athletic's Dane Brugler ranked Banks fourth in the position group, and ESPN's Mel Kiper, Jr., ranked him fifth.

Brooks highlighted Banks' "immense size, freakish talent and heavy hands to dominate opponents at the line of scrimmage."

"While injuries prevented him from putting together a statement-making 2025 campaign, the disruptive flashes at the Senior Bowl matched the performance from his junior season," Brooks wrote.

An added bonus for Minnesota? Vikings Assistant Defensive Line Coach Pat Hill got a firsthand look at Banks during the Senior Bowl — during which he was at times "unblockable" — and could offer even more insight.

"Pat is in the meeting room with these players; he's installing things with these guys," O'Connell said. "He's going through the 1-on-1s and going through some of the drills throughout the practices, the team drills there as their position coach and really getting a feel for a lot of the guys that we evaluated with great detail throughout the process.

"One thing Pat said was, 'It's clear this guy loves football. It's clear this guy has the ability to be highly impactful,' " O'Connell recounted. "Caleb obviously, probably not at 100 percent at that time, and he was still able to go demonstrate so many things throughout that week, and Pat was really excited about the opportunity … to bring Caleb to Minnesota."

Banks joins a Minnesota defensive line group that has changed significantly over the past couple of seasons. The Vikings last spring signed veteran free agents Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen but have parted ways with both players; Jalen Redmond and Levi Drake Rodriguez garnered attention last season and are returning to help lead the room that also includes returnees Elijah Williams, Taki Taimani and 2025 draft selection Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins.

"We feel really good about not only Jalen Redmond, but the rest of the young guys in that room, and now we get to add a guy with a ton of upside," O'Connell said. "Our defense is so unique. We can morph from three-down defense to four-down defense. We can have six on the line. We can have every guy in a Vikings uniform on the line of scrimmage if we want to.

"So it's a standpoint of pulling from that world where we've got inventory to try to then figure out, 'What's the best usage for Caleb — with those other 10 guys on the field — to have the most impact on the opponent we're playing?' " O'Connell added.

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