Caleb Banks Brings Big Personality — and a Mini Zoo

New Vikings defensive tackle Caleb Banks describes himself as "different," "goofy," and a man of many interests and a "jack of all trades." In his introductory press conference at TCO Performance Center on Friday, Banks displayed a larger-than-life character that might just win over fans unhappy with the team's choice to draft the big man with a concerning injury history.

"I got a crazy personality," said the Vikings' No. 18 overall pick on Friday. "I'm a great person. I love my animals. I got four of them, probably going to add more."

When asked about his four pets, Banks surprised some when he revealed an eclectic collection of animals, that includes "two ball pythons, a chameleon, and a Cane Corso."

Banks described his love of animals as something that once pushed him toward attempting to study zoology at the University of Florida. However, football got in the way.

"When I had to go to college, they said, 'You got to pick a major.' I was like, 'Major? I don't know, what's that?' So, they were like, 'Something you like to do. What do you like to do?' I'm like, 'I love animals.' So I was going to get into zoology," said Banks. "Unfortunately I couldn't, didn't have the time. It was a lot of work going to the zoo, being with animals, and you got football practice, and you got to be there. So, that was hard."

Banks said he will "absolutely" be bringing his pets with him to his new home in Minnesota. When asked what he meant when he said he would "probably add more" animals to his household, Banks said, "Probably more snakes. A tarantula. I want some frogs. Probably another dog."

Less than 24 hours earlier, Banks was receiving a phone call from the Vikings telling him they were going to make his NFL dream come true. In the social media clip the team put out of that phone call, Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is heard telling Banks to, "Get the dog. Get the snakes. Get the chameleon. Let's get everybody packed up." Banks admitted Friday that comment meant a lot to him in the moment.

"I was chuckling," said Banks. "I don't know if y'all could hear it, but I was laughing. It meant a lot to me. For you to say that on the phone, it showed you cared, you actually listened. I was excited."

On getting to play in Flores' defense, Banks said he's excited and can't wait.

"I know he got a motor to him," Banks said of Flores. "I can tell by how he walked. He ain't going to BS. He's going to get after you. He's going to get after me, going to make sure that I'm giving everything that I got."

Injury concerns

Many experts and analysts have called the Vikings selection of Banks with the No. 18 overall selection a reach, due to repeated foot injuries the 6-foot-6, 327-pound lineman has dealt with over the past couple of years. Banks is currently recovering from surgery on a broken foot that is expected to sideline him until June. Days before the draft, Banks' agent reportedly sent a letter to teams confirming as much after a recent CT scan.

He believes it's something he's going to put behind him in the near future.

"All the (top) 30 visits I went on, they told me that the foot wouldn't be an issue," Banks said when asked about the injury. "It's fourth metatarsal, you can get that right. It's a bone break, it's not like a ligament or something crazy to where it's really detrimental."

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