Vikings' Caleb Banks Talks Medical Outlook, His '1 of 1' Athletic Traits

The first thing that stands out when listening to new Vikings defensive lineman Caleb Banks is his confidence. "You guys are getting someone special," he said in his first press conference after being drafted 18th overall by Minnesota on Thursday night. "1 of 1."

There's no question the Vikings took a major risk by going away from consensus projections and drafting Banks as high as they did. His upside, given his size and athleticism and the flashes he put on tape in 2024, is tremendous. His floor is low enough that most draft experts thought he'd fall to the second round, with the main concern being his medical history.

Banks is currently recovering from a broken foot that is expected to sideline him until June. He missed all but three games last season because of his foot, which he has aggravated twice in the last year. However, he believes that's an issue that he's going to put behind him heading into his rookie season in the NFL. A recent CT scan showed that he's progressing nicely in his recovery.

"At the moment, right now, just taking it one day at a time," Banks said. "Getting better, getting healthy, so I can go out there and perform when that time comes. I'm feeling good, feeling great. Just got a CT scan, CT went well. So everything's good going forward."

Banks' foot ailments

It's worth going over the full timeline of Banks' injury history. The Detroit native began his college career at Louisville, where he hardly played, and then transferred to Florida in 2023 and put together two productive seasons, including a breakout year with 4.5 sacks, 7 total tackles for loss, and 2 forced fumbles as a redshirt junior in 2024. He was poised for a huge final college season last year — until his foot became a problem.

It started in spring practices. Banks overcame that, but it popped back up in fall camp with the Gators, causing him to miss the first two games of the season. Even in a year where he could've potentially stepped away and let his 2024 tape speak for itself, Banks kept battling to get on the field. He played in Week 3 against LSU, only to injure his foot even worse.

Caleb Banks (88) | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

"I'm not the type of guy to shut anything down," he said. "I wanted to be out there with my brothers and I wanted to play the game of football. Love the game. I love everything that comes with it, from the work to the long nights to the early mornings. The hard work in the weight room. I love it all. Nothing in my mind was telling me, like, shut it down.

"I knew it was broken in the second quarter against LSU. Went in there, got a shot in my foot, didn't work, still went out there, and then it completely broke through. But I was fighting. I'm competitive as hell. That's just me, that's the type of guy I am."

Banks had surgery after that LSU game and immediately set his mind to returning before the season was over. He made it back in time to play 37 snaps against Tennessee and 30 against Florida State in the Gators' final two games. Banks then went to the Senior Bowl in Mobile and boosted his draft stock significantly with a strong week of practices.

Then came another setback. It was the night before the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, and he was practicing his 40-yard dash starts when he felt his foot pop on his second rep. "Had on some little skill cleats, some cleats I shouldn't have had on," he said. "At 330 pounds, it's kinda funky wearing those."

Banks said he thought it was a muscle issue, so he didn't put much stock in it. He woke up feeling fine the next morning and went on with the athletic testing drills as planned. He posted great numbers for his position in both the broad jump and the vertical jump, with only a little bit of pain. The pain got worse when he ran the 40 twice. He didn't get the time he was hoping for, but still managed a 5.05. That's an impressive number for a 330-pound man, made even more impressive by the fact that he didn't realize his foot was broken the entire time.

After trying to do one on-field drill, he knew something wasn't right and shut it down for the day, not wanting to put out bad tape. He wound up undergoing another surgery in March, one that he — and the Vikings — believe has him on track to move past his foot troubles for good.

"Just a little freak accident," Banks said. "Kind of just something that I really couldn't control. So got it repaired, got it fixed, and we're off to the races now."

Caleb Banks at the combine | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Looking forward, Banks said he wants to get down to 320 or 315 pounds to give himself the best possible chance of staying healthy. He also mentioned the importance of having the right cleats, saying he talked to the Vikings' equipment staff and they have a good plan in that regard.

"I'm a freak athlete"

There are, understandably, plenty of fans and analysts who are skeptical about this pick. Some think this was too great of a risk for the Vikings to take within the top 20 selections, given the possibility of Banks' foot issues persisting at the next level and preventing him from reaching his ceiling.

Clearly, the Vikings feel pretty confident in their medical evaluations. And if they're right, this has a chance to be one of the steals of the draft. Banks has truly unique physical tools and as much pure upside as just about anyone in this entire draft. He's 6'6", has 35-inch arms, and has shown flashes of dominance with his explosiveness and power. And he's just scratching the surface.

"I feel like I haven't reached my full potential yet," Banks said. "I feel like I got a lot to learn, and I think I'm gon' learn a lot under coach (Ryan) Nielsen. I think he gon' help me develop, and coach Flo as well. I think those guys are gonna help me be great."

The risk level is elevated, for sure. No question about that.

But Caleb Banks has size and athletic tools that simply cannot be taught. If he’s healthy and reaches his ceiling, he has game-wrecker potential. pic.twitter.com/0X657KUunv
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) April 24, 2026

Banks acknowledged that his technique hasn't always been perfect, which led to some inconsistency in his performance in college. That's something he plans on attacking hard with the Vikings' coaches. He described himself as someone who's going to grind to get better.

"Somebody who's competitive, hard worker, somebody who's gonna get after it," he said. "Somebody's who's gonna get after that quarterback and get in that backfield and make plays. Sometimes it might be a little inconsistency on tape, but you get under a good coach and a good staff and a good team, great teammates, you gon' wanna go hard every single play for them boys. That's pretty much me. Athletic. Did I say competitive? That's me. I'm gon' talk smack all day long."

The Vikings had a clear need on their defensive line, so the Banks pick makes sense from that standpoint. Any criticisms of the decision are more about value and risk. "If" is a scary word, but if Banks stays healthy and becomes more consistent, he could be a dominant force alongside Jalen Redmond and Dallas Turner and the rest of the Vikings' defensive front for years to come. It's hard not to get excited about the possibilities with Banks joining Brian Flores' defense.

"Scheme-wise, defensive end, playing the big end," Banks said. "Some 4i, kind of around there, 3-technique, 5-technique. Being able to use my abilities. I feel like I'm a freak athlete, I'm 1 of 1. Not a lot of guys have the skill set that I have. But I feel like if I develop my tools the way I know I could, I could be dangerous, if you ask me."

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