Lions Will Visit With Intriguing Florida DL Draft Prospect

After the initial wave of free agents has landed in Detroit, there is a clear sign that the defensive line room may need some help.

The Lions have seen Roy Lopez and Al-Quadin Muhammad walk, while D.J. Reader and Josh Paschal all remain on the market.

In their place, D.J. Wonnum and Payton Turner, along with the re-signing of Myles Adams in the defensive trenches. In part, this was by design as Brad Holmes rebuilt the offensive trenches to keep Jared Goff upright and ensure running lanes for franchise running back Jahmyr Gibbs.

However, it signifies that April’s NFL Draft has a clear-cut agenda, which is to add some defensive line starters and depth. One of the more intriguing options is Florida’s Caleb Banks.

With the Lions being down defensive linemen, he is one that Brad Holmes was expected, by fans and media alike, to do due diligence on during the process. Sure enough, news broke that Banks has a top-30 formal visit with Detroit, via 247Sports’ Zach Goodall.

Banks broke out in 2024, with 4.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss, but injuries cut his 2025 season short, with three games and a single tackle for loss. Despite the setbacks, Banks is an intriguing defensive line prospect with untapped potential that has him viewed highly, especially with his 6-foot-6. 327-pound frame.

How is the health outlook for Banks?

However, the injuries are becoming a pattern for Banks. He has had three injuries in the last calendar year, with a foot injury costing him spring practices, then the first two games of last season. Then, an injury in his first game back cost him seven more games. Finally, he wound up re-breaking the fourth metatarsal (a bone in the foot) while practicing for the 40 at the NFL Combine.

Currently, he is projected to be fully healthy around June, but there is always concern with defensive linemen and foot injuries lingering, as seen by Banks’ recent past.

During the NFL Scouting Combine, Banks dived into his injury and his comeback from it, as the SEC lineman played the last few games of the season. He was originally told he would not be able to play the rest of the season after the injury, which he used as fuel to hit the field again, along with finishing the season with his teammates.

“It was kind of hard,” Banks admitted. “A lot of people told me that it wouldn’t be possible for me to come back. I talked to my mom, she helped me through a lot, I talked to God, I knew I was going to come back and participate in those games. I wanted to play with my brothers, I wanted to finish hard with my teammates, no matter the circumstances of the season. I wanted to play football.”

An intriguing fit in Detroit

Banks would fit in Detroit as a starting or rotational defensive tackle from the beginning, depending on his health. He has an NFL-ready frame, and has the length needed to make an impact. He was viewed as a high first-round pick until his injury, for good reason.

Banks is a run-first defensive tackle that is viewed as raw in the pass game, but part of that comes from only having 2024 tape to work off, as most of his development leading into 2025 is unseen due to his injuries. He has a good burst off the ball, but some concerns on him standing upright at the line of scrimmage.

The other concern on his fit in Detroit is that a run-first defensive tackle with athleticism and untapped pass-rush potential is nearly word-for-word the scouting report on 2025 first-round pick Tyleik Williams. Those two could be a dangerous duo in the future, but a liability against early-down passes in the immediate future.

As it stands, Banks is viewed as a late-first round selection or early second round pick.

If Detroit wanted to select Banks in the NFL Draft, they would need to either reach at pick 17, which Brad Holmes has done before (see Jahmyr Gibbs, Williams, and Jack Campbell), or trade down in the first round to pick up more capital and land Banks. Additionally, if his foot injury scares teams away, Detroit could wind up having Banks fall into their laps with their second pick of the draft, at no. 50 overall.