As the Vikings navigated free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft, bringing in players from the pro and college ranks, we've taken a deeper look at newcomers' games — the ways they've stood out; why their fit with Minnesota makes sense; and what was said about them in early evaluations, and more recently. We previously studied free-agent signings Kyler Murray, James Pierre and Jauan Jennings. Now, the club's Top 5 draft picks: Caleb Banks, Jake Golday, Domonique Orange, Caleb Tiernan and Jakobe Thomas. These features are intended to present the skills and backgrounds of players new to the Vikings fan base.

Overview

Minnesota splashed into "The Swamp" to snatch former Florida Gators DL Caleb Banks with the 18^th overall pick on April 23. From Detroit, Michigan, Banks is a smidge taller than 6-foot-6 and weighs 327 pounds. He has a bonkers wingspan of 7 feet, 1 3/4 inches, and large hands (10 7/8 inches). At the NFL Scouting Combine, Banks displayed awesome athleticism for someone his size, running the 40 in 5.04 seconds and posting a 32-inch vertical. Banks suffered a broken fourth metatarsal in his left foot in Indy and underwent surgery in March; he informed teams in a pre-draft letter that he anticipates being cleared for football activities in June, and Vikings leadership has conveyed confidence in his recovery.

Banks is the highest-drafted Vikings DL in more than two decades (Erasmus James was picked 18^th in 2005; fellow Gator Shariff Floyd was 23^rd in 2013, by the way), and the third DL drafted into the NFL who attended Southfield A&T High School after Gabe Watson (Round 4, 2006) and Malik McDowell (Round 2, 2017). Banks was a three-star recruit and spent two seasons at Louisville before transferring to Florida in 2023 and breaking out the next year with 4.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss in 12 games. He played a fraction of that last season due to a foot injury and recorded one TFL across three contests. Overall, Banks appeared in 34 games in five seasons and made 48 tackles, including 10.5 for a loss, and 6.5 sacks. Banks played his most snaps in 2024 (422), per analytics site Pro Football Focus, and registered a 7.4 PRP (a formula that combines sacks, hits and hurries relative to how many times a player rushes the passer), tying him for seventh in the country among interior d-linemen (min. 200 opps). For perspective there, the leader that year was Oregon's Derrick Harmon (9.1), who was later drafted 21^st overall by Pittsburgh.

Banks realized his NFL dreams with the Vikings a few weeks after feeling comfortable during a Top 30 visit with the team. He was accompanied by his mother Mary, brothers Trevon and Jalen, and girlfriend Monique during his introductory press conference at Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center the day after his selection. Among several topics, Banks discussed his hoops background and measurables.

Flashing on film

If a player ever was drafted off a single performance, Banks stated his case to go 1^st overall when No. 22-ranked LSU rolled into Gainesville on Nov. 16, 2024, and fell to the Gators for the first time in six years. It was peak-Banks, the type of tape that makes you sit up a little bit straighter in your chair and rewind for another look. In a 27-16 win, he had three tackles, a sack, two forced fumbles, one recovery and nine QB pressures. We won't highlight each instance of dominance (that's best devoured in a reel, not an article), but we picked a couple plays from that game that do Banks' chomp justice and flaunt his potential impact in Purple. We also dissected three sequences from '25 archives that capture Banks in his element.

1. Inside win

One sliver of Banks' pass-rush artistry occurred with 4,000-yard passer Garrett Nussmeier in his crosshairs. On a second-and-7 at LSU's 13-yard line two years ago, Banks teed off. The play began with Banks aligned head-up over the left guard. It ended with Nussmeier diving headfirst into a sea of bodies to retrieve the ball that was swiped out of his hand by Banks as he winded up to sling a pass. Nussmeier saved it, the Tigers advanced the sticks on a third-and-very-long and tacked on a field goal 13 plays later to inch ahead 13-10. But Banks and the Gators gang had it going on all afternoon; this play was Exhibit A.

Initially, Banks angled outside to work one half of his man. Once he felt the guard bite on his rush path, though, he pivoted to attack the opponent's inside hip and flew forward. He entered the pocket unscathed — he was unblockable here; his burst and length were too much to stop when they arrived together — and lunged at Nussmeier's throwing arm. It was bang-bang. A sack-fumble Banks almost got.

2. Outside win

Banks and the Gators defense surged to the finish line with the Tigers in town, stiffening on a 12-play, 37-yard series that ended with a turnover on downs and Florida seizing possession in the final minute. On the fourth play of that progression, Banks engaged in a hand fight off the edge and contributed to a sack. We repeat, off the edge. That phrase is everything here — confirmation that Banks is an athletic marvel.

With his weight leaning on his right hand and the fingertips of his left touching the hybrid turf at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Banks awaited the snap like a frog eyeing an insect. Whoosh! He exploded with the kind of wiggle in his hips that rivals a juking running back — shimmy, shimmy — and combatted punches from LSU's guard and tackle, enabling him to get upfield, and proceed to dip and rip underneath the bookend.

Banks was surpassed by a blitzing linebacker in reaching Nussmeier, but he met at the quarterback. And the process was more important than the outcome in this scenario. Banks displayed his get-off faculty, plus a reactionary rush plan, great lateral agility and closing speed to the quarterback that instills dread.

3. Heavyweight hit

Personal protectors beware: Offensive linemen aren't the only victims of Banks' wrath. One former Gators teammate, Jack Pyburn, found this out when LSU hosted Florida in 2025 and he was tasked with shielding Tigers punter Grant Chadwick from Banks barreling at him out of a laid-back, two-point stance.

Let's rewind. On a fourth-and-1 in the first frame, LSU dialed a punt from its 34. Before the commotion, Banks was standing straight as an arrow, practically posing for a photo between a spread-out guard and tackle split, and signaling to a teammate. Meanwhile, Pyburn rested his elbows at the bottom of his thighs and stayed in a squat with his head on a swivel once the ball was snapped. Then, with two Gators in his purview, Pyburn prepared to be sandwiched. Banks, instead, pummeled into and through his chest.

The collision rocked the 6-foot-4, 260-pound Pyburn onto his tush about 2 yards behind Chadwick's plant foot. Figuratively *insert blinking guy GIF* here. Even though Banks didn't impact the play per se because field position flipped via a 45-yard boot, his heavyweight blow set the tone for a physical SEC night game that Florida nearly won despite DJ Lagway throwing five interceptions. Applaud Pyburn for bouncing to his feet afterward and trading verbal jabs with his frenemy as they jogged to their sidelines.

4. With finesse

Later in the same half in "Death Valley," Banks was mistaken for a border collie doing agility drills, and nearly stifled a pair of LSU rushes by himself. The first blur occurred with 1:33 left and Florida defending a conservative handoff on third-and-5 at its 48. Aligned outside the left guard, Banks swam inside with vision on Tigers running back Caden Durham and had him dead to rights in the backfield, but he slipped his tackle attempt and crossed the 50 to salvage 2 yards. Still, LSU had to punt — but got the ball back a minute later courtesy an interception. Banks' swim was Michael Phelps-y, but his next move was better.

With 14 seconds remaining until halftime and the Tigers OK with settling for three points after a takeaway, Banks sensed a run in his direction and flew off the rock. He pressed into the right guard at first and then realized his blocker was off balance, so he executed a spin move inside that probably would make Dwight Freeney proud. Again, Banks met Durham in the backfield, and again he whiffed on a possible TFL — Durham escaped around the bend this time and picked up 6 to set up a makeable field goal — but that doesn't diminish what Banks did well. A spin so sudden, at his size — are you for real?!

5. Stack & shed

Did Banks play against anyone else? Why, of course. Let's revisit a scene from the Gators rivalry game versus Florida State, which was his third appearance last season and his college finale — a 40-21 victory.

Shortly after halftime, the Seminoles converted a second-and-1 with a 2-yard rush, but absolutely zero space for extracurriculars because of Banks. Assuming a 2i-technique (aligned over the inside eye of the left guard), Banks threw his hands at the chest of the man in front of him, extended them, put his jersey in a vice grip and foiled his block attempt with a push-pull that sent the lineman onto his hands and knees and propelled Banks into Seminoles RB Ousmane Kromah's face. An idyllic stack & shed w/ a bite.

Fitting with Minnesota

Banks is a three-down player thanks to his powerful base and seemingly bottomless bag of moves, and he offers alignment flexibility in the trenches. Although he may be most disruptive as a 3-technique (aligned over the outside shoulder of the guard), Banks has enough knockback and awareness to play closer to the center, and is twitchy enough — savvy, too — to align wider and work the edges of tackles.

Since the Vikings shed veterans Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave this offseason after one-year trials, Banks isn't greatly out-experienced by anybody in the DL room; former UFL star Jalen Redmond is the leader there in defensive snaps played (1,001 over 30 career games). If Banks gets healthy and up to speed in training camp, he could start opposite Redmond in certain looks with fellow rookie Domonique Orange at the nose, as well as be utilized in waves with Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins and Levi Drake Rodriguez.

Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores, plus Defensive Running Game Coordinator Ryan Nielsen and Assistant Defensive Line Coach Pat Hill will be uniquely influential to Banks homing his skills and attaining new ones. The latter two got to know Banks, separately, during a visit to Florida and at the Senior Bowl.

Evaluation station

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com drew a comparison between Banks and Chicago Bears DL Gervon Dexter, Sr., writing the rookie is a "big-framed, long-limbed interior defender whose play needs more polish to consistently match his traits." He added, "Like a grappler without submission knowledge, Banks is still learning to unlock his physical advantages so he can turn them into sacks. His traits and flashes at the Senior Bowl make him an enticing prospect, but injury concerns are a potential stumbling block for him."

Zierlein included a quote in his eval from an AFC national scout that underscores Banks' competitive spirit: "I have tremendous respect for him. He hurt his foot in camp, tried to play through it and then had to have surgery in September. Most guys who are top-50 (prospects) would have just shut it down but he busted his tail to make it back for the last two games (of 2025). That says something about his character."

Former Florida coach Billy Napier shared major praise of Banks with The Athletic's Alec Lewis in this post-draft file: "I would just tell you that, within the last decade or 20 years, this is a generational height, length, twitch and intelligence type of guy who also has a competitive streak that makes him different."

Timeline highlights

One bonus thought

The selection of Banks initially had a swing-for-the-fences feel in large part because of the consensus board that aggregates prospect rankings via media members and mock drafts from every corner of the internet. The consensus pegged Banks as the 44^th best player available this cycle. However, the consensus lacked intel related to medical tests and schematic fit that Minnesota valued tremendously.

It's a good lesson in the divide between external draft analysts and team scouting departments. Generally speaking, prospects can be evaluated through an objective lens by different parties — who can agree on what they see — but in-house grades are subject to criteria overlooked by outsiders, to no fault of their own; they can be scheme agnostic in stacking their board, whereas club scouts must weigh fits.

That's to say that picking Banks, in hindsight, wasn't so much a Hank Aaron-sized swing as it was supreme trust in the board and in someone with "Top 10" ability who is smart, tough and loves football.

See the Vikings 2026 Schedule.

View future opponents for the Vikings.

Buy single game tickets.

Download the official Vikings App.

See more about the 2028 NFL Draft in Minnesota.