Who’s Brant Banks? College Coach Talks About Lineman Packers Promoted

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers offensive tackle Brant Banks, who was promoted from the practice squad to the 53-man roster on Tuesday, spent his final two collegiate seasons at Rice. One of his coaches there, Dylan Barnett, was eager to take a break in prep for this week’s game to talk about his former pupil.

“Brant was one of my favorite guys that I had a pleasure working with in my three years at Rice,” Barnett, who’s now an assistant coach at Middle Tennessee State, said on Tuesday. “As I’m sure you’re aware, offensive line rooms are typically like the team within the team. Brant transferred in from Nebraska and assimilated himself into that room in a way that was seamless. Like, he was one of them.

“Part of it with him is he has a big personality. Not in a way that’s detrimental but he has a personality where people look for him to lead, and everything he does, he does it the right way. He’s an awesome person to be around.”

Banks, in a way, is the anti-Packers lineman. Green Bay, like many teams, prefers to take college left tackles and move them to other positions until they find a home in the NFL. Banks played left guard in 2023 and right tackle in 2024. Including four seasons as a backup at Nebraska, he played 55 snaps at left tackle in 1,682 career snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.

With the Packers, he was locked in at left tackle throughout the offseason program, training camp and the preseason.

Having Banks play guard was a way to help Rice get its “best 11” players on the field, Barnett said. In 2023, Rice had veteran starters at both tackle spots. In 2024, the coaches opted to shift Ethan Onianwa, who’s now at Ohio State, to left tackle and insert Banks at right tackle.

“We knew full well he wasn’t a guard with his natural length and pass-protection ability,” Barnett said. “And then to be able to move out to tackle for the next year allowed him to really get into his natural position, which is what he’s doing at this level.”

At 6-foot-7 1/8 with 33 5/8-inch arms, Banks has the body of a tackle. He excelled, giving up only two sacks in 2024.

“When it comes to his game, he has natural, God-given length that is really appealing to scouts at the professional level,” Barnett said. “You can be as technique-proficient as you want to be, but sometimes it comes down to, ‘Hey, you’ve got super-long arms, and that’ll give you a chance even if you’re not perfect in your set, perfect in your punch time. You’ll have a chance.’ So, that’s one of the things that Brant does a really good job of.

“And he is, I don’t want to say deceptively athletic – that makes it sound bad, like I’m talking bad at him, because I’m not – but he is a good athlete. Typically, the really athletic tackles have a little bit different build – a little bit more slender is the best way to put it. But he moves really well. And he understands his game. He knows how to position himself to be successful.”

Not only does Banks have some appealing tools, he arrived in the NFL with a sound skill-set. Rice’s head coach was Mike Bloomgren, who’s now the offensive line coach for the Browns. Rice’s offensive line coach was Sanders Davis, who’s now the assistant offensive line coach for the Browns.

“He’s a Bill Callahan guy,” Barnett said of Bloomgren. “We ran a pro-style, West Coast offense, West Coast terminology. So, I’m fairly certain that the learning part was really easy for him. So, at that point, it’s not about processing information. It’s just that I can line up and play, which really helps.”

Banks had a strong training camp and preseason with the Packers; Pro Football Focus didn’t charge him with a single pressure allowed in three preseason games. It wasn’t enough to make the 53 out of camp, but he was re-signed to the practice squad and elevated for the Week 2 game against Washington.

In time, what can Banks become?

“He is a guy with a lot of natural, God-given ability,” Barnett said. “I don’t want to say that the sky’s the limit for him, but that combined with the way he works, the way he prepares – I’ve seen him show up to work every day and he prepares the right way.

“He’s been treating it like a pro for a long time, so that’s going to set him up to be very, very successful. From what I know of Brant, the way that he prepares himself, the way he carries himself, I don’t think there’s any limit to what he can do.”

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