Longhorns Country

New Orleans Saints Share First Look at Kelvin Banks at Rookie Minicamp

Former Texas Longhorns star Kelvin Banks is already hitting the ground running with the New Orleans Saints.

Matt Galatzan

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Jack Sawyer rushes against Texas Longhorns offensive lineman Kelvin Banks Jr.
Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Jack Sawyer rushes against Texas Longhorns offensive lineman Kelvin Banks Jr. / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
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There are few players who left the 40 Acres as decorated as Texas Longhorns offensive tackle Kelvin Banks.

As a result of his outstanding career, Banks was selected No. 9 overall by the New Orleans Saints in the 2025 NFL Draft, becoming a lynchpin of a team who is the beginning stages of a rebuild.

And now, he is finally starting to get some work on the field, and the excitement is palpable.

Texas Longhorns offensive lineman Kelvin Banks Jr. against the Clemson Tigers
Texas Longhorns offensive lineman Kelvin Banks Jr. against the Clemson Tigers / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

On Friday, the Saints shared the first look at Banks during the team's rookie Minicamp, going through drills with his new teammates.

While Saints fans everywhere might be excited about their new offensive lineman, it appears that Banks himself is just as excited to get started in New Orleans.

"I haven’t been to New Orleans a whole lot, but I have a lot of family from Louisiana, and my best friend is from that area too, so I feel like it’s kind of an at-home situation for me," Banks said after being picked by the Saints. "I don’t think I’ll feel out of place at all coming to the city of New Orleans and feeling comfortable.

"I remember going into that stadium (in the Sugar Bowl) and just seeing how electrifying it was, even though it wasn’t the Saints, it was our team, but just seeing how electrifying it was and how much energy was coming out of that stadium. I know it will be a good experience once I put that Saints helmet on."

Banks Jr. ended his Texas career having started in all 42 games he appeared in for the Longhorns. An All-Big 12 First Team selection in 2023, he followed that up by winning the Outland Trophy and the Lombardi Award this season while anchoring Texas' offensive line.

He now starts his career in the Big Easy, hoping to have that same kind of success as a cornerstone of a rebuilding franchise.

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Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.

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