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Caleb Banks has an outside shot at Rookie of the Year.
The Minnesota Vikings 2026 draft was very defensive focused, with the Vikings taking players from that side of the ball with their first three picks.
After releasing veteran defensive tackles Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen and trading edge rusher Jonathan Greenard, Minnesota got aggressive early in the draft drafting their replacements. With significant roles in store, what could the ceiling be for these highly touted rookies?
ESPN’s Ben Solak counted down his top contenders for Rookie of the Year awards and two of those Viking rookies found themselves on the list.
First on the list was No. 18 overall selection Caleb Banks, but Solak admits it’s a longshot based solely on Banks’ position.
“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,” wrote Solak. “Banks is that sort of talent and an enticing bet accordingly. 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.”
Next up as an even longer shot, is second-round pick Jake Golday who faces a tougher path towards significant playing time.
“Golday is an off-ball/on-ball tweener who will be stuck behind established starters at both positions: Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner at outside linebacker; Eric Wilson and Blake Cashman at inside linebacker. He will undoubtedly have flashy plays in subpackages, but he simply will not see enough snaps — barring injury — to contend for this award.”
The Vikings will need their defensive rookies to come along quickly after the departure of Greenard, who leaves a big void in the Minnesota front. While Dallas Turner is sure to take on a bigger role, Banks, Golday and Iowa State nose tackle Domonique Orange will be heavily relied upon in year one.
Greenard admitted earlier this week that he never wanted to leave Minnesota, but the money just wasn’t going to work out.
“Make no mistake, everybody knew that it wasn’t about me not wanting to be in Minnesota,” he said on Green Light with Chris Long. “That was not at all the case. We knew that it was strictly about contract and money at this point. As an edge guy, we understand how much we can affect the game. And whenever I see that my worth is, I’m not going to say not viewed the same, but yes, kind of essentially that.”
The Viking rookies may not end up as Rookie of the Year candidates, but defensive coordinator Brian Flores will surely get the best out of them.
Trevor Ripley Trevor Ripley is a Heavy writer covering the Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals. More about Trevor Ripley
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