The NFL Draft gets underway tonight from Pittsburgh, and after losing their streak last year of having someone selected in the 1st round, the Gators are hoping that Caleb Banks can restart that streak tonight. Banks is bound to be one of the more fascinating prospects in the draft because he has a sky-high ceiling, but there are plenty of reasons to believe his floor is also lower than most.
With that in mind, these are the storylines that are bound to define the night for Banks.
Storylines that will define the night for Florida’s Caleb Banks
How much will teams value his latest health report?
One of the reasons why Banks has seemingly dropped on the big boards of various mock drafts is the revelation that he got injured again during his workout at the NFL Combine. In a vacuum, that injury probably wouldn’t have mattered, but given the backdrop of the other injuries he had while at Florida, could that scare off some teams who would otherwise be willing to pull the trigger?
Banks released a report on Wednesday that claims he will be cleared for workouts once training camp begins.
What will teams value more, on-field production or combine results?
In part because of the injuries, the reality is that Banks doesn’t actually have a ton of on-field production that would justify taking him as a first-round pick. His stock shot way up after he took over the games against LSU and Ole Miss in 2024, but he doesn’t have a ton of other elite games to show for.
But his metrics at the NFL Combine were top-tier, and if one knew nothing else about Banks other than his metrics, then he would be almost a lock to be a first-round pick this evening.
Will someone take a swing to try and grab Banks?
If Banks does go in the first round, the two most common destinations that mock drafts keep coming up with are either with Houston at No. 28 or Kansas City at No. 29. Between those two, Kansas City feels like the more likely pick, as Houston is expected to focus on their offensive line first.
But before those two get to pick, keep an eye on both Pittsburgh at No. 21 and Chicago at No. 24. Both will also have their eyes on a defensive tackle at some point, and it wouldn’t be a shock for Banks to land with either of those two.
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