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Quarterback JJ McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings.

Selected 18th overall by the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL draft, Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks may need to bury the hatchet with J.J. McCarthy.

Before becoming a Viking, Banks was asked which quarterback he was most excited to hit upon entering the NFL.

His answer, informed by a visit to Michigan, was McCarthy.

“I met J.J. McCarthy once (on a visit at Michigan),” Banks told Pro Football Talk at the NFL Scouting Combine. “I’m definitely gonna have to come hit him for sure.”

However Banks may feel about McCarthy, he will have to take his sights off his new teammate. He will surely have his reps against McCarthy during the offseason program but will not be allowed to take his teammate to the ground in practice.

JJ McCarthy-Dallas Turner Rivalry Buried With Vikings

This is not the first time McCarthy has had to become fast friends with a former rival.

McCarthy and fellow 2024 Vikings first-rounder Dallas Turner had to put their differences aside after the two faced each other in the Rose Bowl. McCarthy completed a trick-play pass during the game with Turner crashing down on him, resulting in a hit that shook McCarthy up. The play was vital to the Wolverines’ 27-20 win to advance to the national championship that season.

“J.J. definitely hurt my feelings January 1, and that was the first time I cried in a little minute… I had unfollowed him on Instagram…but we’re teammates now…I’ve refollowed him,” Turner said in his introductory news conference in 2024. “We’re teammates now, that’s my brother now.”

Vikings Take Big Swing on Caleb Banks

GettyCaleb Banks lands with the Vikings in the NFL Draft.

The Vikings’ reason for ousting former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was due to a lack of success in the draft, which saw the analytics-driven GM often chase the surplus value in buying low on players with injury concerns but elite athleticism.

While the organization was expected to make a safe pick to get on base, rather than swing for a home run, the selection of Banks was the latter.

At 6-foot-6, 327 pounds, Banks is a space eater with pass-rush upside who has all the tools to be a game-changing interior lineman, often compared to All-Pro Chris Jones.

However, Banks has to develop to reach that ceiling, and that will require him to overcome a lingering foot injury that has hindered him since the 2024 season. He had his second surgery in six months on his left foot in February.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper was down on the move, considering other less-risky prospects that could address other needs immediately.

“Big-time reach for me. Banks was No. 62 on my board, the biggest stretch of the night. Sure, there’s reason to believe this could work out for the Vikings. Banks can stop running backs in their tracks, and he gets enough interior push to be a factor in the pass rush,” Kiper wrote. “He moves well for a 6-foot-6, 327-pounder. But he has been dealing with a foot injury for a while now, and he just had surgery on it after the combine. A lot of risk here, even if Banks healthy and at his best can shore up the interior.”