EAGAN, Minn. — Be on the lookout for a Gator chomp/SKOL Chant combo next season.

The Vikings dipped into "The Swamp" to select former Florida defensive lineman Caleb Banks with the 18^th overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday night, providing Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores a rare-sized player.

Banks is 23 years old and was listed on his NFL.com draft profile at 6-foot-6 1/4 and 327 pounds. In his pick-by-pick analysis on NFL.com, former player and scout Bucky Brooks noted he gets "Chris Jones vibes" when he watches Banks, referencing Kansas City's three-time Super Bowl Champion and perennial Pro Bowler. Brooks added, "The massive defensive tackle prospect is a good technician with violent hands and nimble feet."

During his media session at the combine, Banks mentioned Jones as a player he likes to watch.

While Banks was limited to three games in 2025 due to a foot injury and underwent surgery March 9 to repair a fractured fourth metatarsal in his left foot, he sent a letter to NFL clubs informing them that he's on track to be fully cleared in early June. His college performance featured flashes of "Top 10" potential.

Here are five things to know about the Detroit native, the highest-selected Vikings DL since DE Erasmus James (18^th) in 2005.

1. Senior Bowl star

Coaches and scouts got a close-up of Banks in January at the 2026 Senior Bowl, and he put on a show. Banks was one of the American Team defensive linemen led by Vikings assistant defensive line coach Pat Hill. We noted Banks afterward as one of the college All-Stars who caught our eye in practices that week, writing, "Working against pop-up dummies, Banks looked like a blur. And working against real humans, he was at times totally unblockable. He was the talk of the town — whispers of his rise became audible."

Along with being in the classroom with Hill in Mobile, Banks spent time with new Vikings Defensive Running Game Coordinator Ryan Nielsen when the coach ventured to "The Sunshine State" to get to know Banks.

2. Rare measurables

Banks isn't just big, he's long — 35-inch arms, 85 1/8-inch wingspan — and he's light on his feet.

He nearly ran sub-five seconds in the 40-yard dash (5.04) during the NFL Scouting Combine despite wearing a fresh pair of cleats that irritated his feet and caused him to pull himself out of some drills. Although his arm length is elite, his wingspan is crazier; it's the fourth broadest for a defensive linemen in MockDraftable’s database, which stores combine and pro day measurements dating to 1999, topped only by Dayo Odeyingbo (86 3/8), former Viking Janarius Robinson (86 1/4) and Darrell Jackson, Jr. (86).

3. 'Top 10' talent

Head Coach Kevin O'Connell and Executive Vice President of Football Operations Rob Brzezinski both alluded to the Vikings big board of prospects and where Banks, a "Top 10 caliber talent," was positioned.

If Banks had a bigger inventory of tape in 2025 — and the foot injury didn't occur — there likely was no way he'd be available at the midpoint of the first round. Across 12 games (10 starts) at Florida in 2024, Banks made seven tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. The Athletic's Dane Brugler called his game against LSU "outstanding" and complimented his major strides in the SEC from 2023-24 before his injury derailed a breakout chance.

4. Love of the game

Banks hurried his rehab for the foot injury he sustained early last year to come back for the final two games of a losing season for the Gators — evidence he truly cares about competing with his teammates.

"If I'm being honest, man, I'm not the type of guy to shut anything down," Banks said on a post-draft call. "I wanted to be out there with my brothers, and I wanted to play the game of football. I love the game. I love everything that comes with it, from the work to the long nights to the early mornings, the hard work in the weight room. I love it all. So nothing in my mind was telling me, like, 'shut it down.' You know what I mean?

"I knew it was broken in the second quarter against LSU. Went in there, got a shot in my foot. Didn't work. Still went out there," he continued. "And then it completely broke through. But I was fighting. You know what I mean? And I was fighting in the combine as well. I'm competitive as hell. That's just me. That's the type of guy I am. I didn't mean to cuss, but I'm in that mode a little bit. That's just the type of guy I am."

5. Southfield A&T alum

Banks spent his first two seasons at Louisville before transferring to Florida for three more. Before then, he was a three-star recruit out of Southfield High School for the Arts and Technology, the old stomping grounds of 2017 Seahawks second-round DL Malik McDowell and 2006 Cardinals fourth-round DL Gabe Watson, among others. The most recent Southfield alum was Chiefs seventh-round CB Nic Jones in 2023.

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