Vikings draft Florida defensive lineman Caleb Banks at No. 18 overall
By David Wasson
Published:
The first Florida Gator has been selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, as the Minnesota Vikings tabbed defensive lineman Caleb Banks on Thursday night with the No. 18 overall pick.
Banks began his career at Louisville in 2022 but blossomed into a standout player in Gainesville beginning in 2023. And even though he was limited to just three games in 2025 due to a foot injury, Banks showed his first-round ability in 2024 when he notched 4½ sacks, 10 solo tackles and two forced fumbles.
Banks is still recovering from a surgically repaired bone in his foot – an injury that Dr. Norman Waldrop, a foot and ankle specialist with the Andrews Clinic, has checked before sending NFL teams a letter saying Banks is “on pace to be fully cleared for full football activities in early June.”
The 6-foot-6, 330-pound Banks had surgery on March 9 on a fractured fourth metatarsal of his left foot after injuring himself at the Senior Bowl. Banks’ left foot was also the reason he missed the bulk of the 2025 season.
Despite the injury and surgery, Banks was ranked among the top five defensive tackles in all of ESPN’s draft analyst ratings – with both Jordan Reid and Field Yates ranking him No. 3 at the position.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
