Caleb Banks Mentioned in Same Breath as 2 NFL Stars

In this year’s draft, the Vikings made sure to address the interior of the defensive line by adding tackle Caleb Banks with the 18th overall pick. A talented player, he comes to the Twin Cities with some serious injury concerns after fracturing his foot twice over the last year.

Still, he’s an intriguing prospect with rare size and athleticism metrics that push him toward a high ceiling.

ESPN noticed that and named him in the Defensive Rookie of the Year race. He’s listed as a long shot, but he’s listed nevertheless. In that process, he drew some sweet comparisons.

Ben Solak noted, “Caleb Banks, DT, Vikings: No defensive tackle has won Rookie of the Year since Aaron Donald in 2014, and the only other tackle to do it this century was Ndamukong Suh. Banks is that sort of talent and an enticing bet accordingly.”

Aaron Donald might be the best defensive player to ever step on an NFL field, with ten Pro Bowls and eight first-team All-Pro honors in ten seasons. He’ll be a first-ballot Hall of Famer in a couple of years. Ndamukong Suh, meanwhile, has an impressive resume in his own right, having been to five Pro Bowls. He was a first-team All-Pro three times. Both have won a Super Bowl. Suh might ultimately fall short of the Hall of Fame, but his case can’t be dismissed entirely.

Either way, mentioning Banks in a sentence with those guys shows the kind of talent he brings to the table. Whether he comes close to their accolades remains to be seen.

Solak added, “But he has a foot injury that’s impossible to overlook. He also plays in a Brian Flores defense that doesn’t allow defensive tackles to play the sort of unhinged, penetration-oriented style that leads to sacks. Sure, the Vikings spent an early pick on Banks — but as head coach of the Dolphins in 2019, Flores used the No. 13 pick on Christian Wilkins, and he had two sacks as a rookie. It’s hard to see the path for Banks.”

Indeed, the foot injury remains a problem. The Vikings took the risk, hoping he would bounce back. Banks is expected to be fully cleared for football activity in June.

Brian Flores’ scheme hasn’t particularly gotten defensive tackles big-time numbers and unfortunately, awards are won with statistics. Jalen Redmond logged six sacks in 2025, but Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave couldn’t reproduce past sack output.

Regardless, the Vikings didn’t acquire Banks to win Rookie of the Year; they added him to find a long-time staple of the purple defense.

Dane Brugler (The Athletic) noted in his pre-draft breakdown, “Banks is a towering athlete with the fluid athleticism and unique physical traits to be impactful against the pass and the run. He is long and strong enough to claim early wins when he stays disciplined in his initial attack. But his taller stature can zap his power and take him out of plays, as he allows blockers to out-leverage him and stay attached. He leaves too much production on the field, although his tackling should improve with better conditioning.”

If he can put it all together, Banks has a chance to be the next superstar in Minnesota’s extensive defensive tackle history. There’s risk involved and he has to learn a thing or two, but the talent is there.

Only time will tell if he can reach that potential.

Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.