Caleb Banks proved mock drafts were never telling the full story

Ahead of the first round of the NFL Draft, it seemed like Florida’s Caleb Banks might fall and wind up as a second-round selection. Even though Banks had a strong Senior Bowl and his numbers at the NFL Combine were impressive, his injury bug kept popping back up, and most mock drafts had started to drop him.

But Thursday night was also a reminder that mock drafts don’t always align with the real thing, as Banks wound up going in a slot that most thought he would go originally.

Caleb Banks gets selected No. 18 by Minnesota 

Banks was selected No. 18 overall by the Minnesota Vikings. Admittedly, this was sooner than we thought he was going to do based on the trends, even though the Vikings were in the market to upgrade their defensive line. In our own projections, it felt like the soonest he might go was No. 21 to Pittsburgh, while No. 29 to Kansas City was also a very likely slot for Banks.

As it played out, Kansas City did take a defensive tackle, but it wasn’t Banks because the Vikings had taken a swing earlier. Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke afterward about why the Vikings never wavered in their commitment to Banks, even though the mock drafts did:

“We really identified him early on in the process. Not only Brian Flores, but Ryan Nielsen, our D-line coach, and our scouts. From a pure talent standpoint, we really felt like we were able to select a player at the 18th selection that, in many cases, if he was able to play a full season last year, maybe he's probably looking at being a top 10 pick. 

So when you have an opportunity to get this kind of talent, infuse that into the front, which is something that we want to continue to strive to do, is build along the line of scrimmages, build with a chance to really get a difference maker alongside a guy like Jalen Redmond, who's really come on for us. 

We have some other really good young players in that room. And I know anytime we select a defensive player and our defensive coordinator is the happiest guy in the room, that makes me feel really good. And we're really excited to bring Caleb Banks to Minnesota.”

The injury concerns aren’t unfair, and there will be a question mark as to whether the two games Banks had against LSU and Ole Miss in 2024 were a flash in the pan or not.

But if he can stay healthy, which is an if, Gator fans know Banks has the upside to dominate in the trenches for a long time in the NFL, no matter what the mock drafts said.

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