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Caleb Banks with the Florida Gators #88

The Minnesota Vikings decided to use their 2026 18th overall selection on Florida defensive lineman Caleb Banks.

The selection stirred up some online controversy. Many are worried about Banks’ foot injury history in recent years may linger into his professional career. While time will tell on the injury front, there are other concerns.

Banks’ 6’6 frame causes him to routinely play with a high pad level, washing him out of plays. The injury and inconsistent play isn’t cause for concern according to his former coaches, however.

Florida Coaching Staff Touts Caleb Banks

According to FanSided’s Luke Norris, the Florida coaching staff has confidence in Banks’ abilities. He shared some words from Alec Lewis of The Athletic, who shared some words himself from those close to Banks at Florida.

He began with former Florida head coach Billy Napier.

“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.”

Florida’s defensive line coach, Gerald Chatman, was next in the praise for Banks.

“I was there at his draft (party), and I was proud of him. But I said, ‘Hey, it’s time to get your a– on that plane, and it’s time to go to work.’ I told him, ‘People are doubting you right now. People don’t think you can do it. But the Vikings do. They showed that they believe. They’re saying that they believe you can reach your ceiling.”

There’s no doubting that Caleb Banks has an undeniable ceiling. What is unknown, though, is if he will reach it. The Vikings are obviously confident he could do so, and being on a Brian Flores-led unit is reason enough to believe in the idea.

Two Vikings Top 100 Picks Get Promising Outlook

The Vikings selected two defensive interiors in the Top 100 selections of the draft. These two men are Florida’s Caleb Banks and Iowa State’s Domonique Orange.

Sports Illustrated recently explained that they should both be Day 1 starters on the Vikings’ defense in 2026.

“Both of the humongous defensive tackles the Vikings selected in the first two days of the draft should slot in as immediate plug-and-play replacements for Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave in Minnesota’s starting lineup, even if they’ll be part of a rotation to keep them fresh.

There are obviously questions about Banks’ history of foot injuries, but he’s expected to be recovered from his current ailment in June and to be fully ready to go for the season. As long as he’s healthy, he’ll be in line for a big role under Brian Flores and Ryan Nielsen, playing from a variety of alignments.

With that said, it’s worth noting that Banks’ career high in defensive snaps at Florida was 422 (in 12 games in 2024), so the Vikings may want him to be in the 500-600 snap range, as opposed to the 800ish that Allen and Jalen Redmond played in 2025.”

The Vikings couldn’t ask much more out of their 2026 draft class than having two immediate starters within it.