Caleb Banks’ first preseason look in a Vikings uniform came with the kind of warning signs scouts had circled long before Minnesota took him with the 18th overall pick in April.
On Saturday against the Giants, Banks struggled to make much of an imprint. Pro Football Focus gave him a 30.4 grade, the lowest mark on the Vikings’ interior defensive line, and he finished with 25 defensive snaps.
On 12 pass-rushing snaps, he didn’t generate a quarterback pressure. The technique issues showed up too, and The Athletic’s Alec Lewis called Banks “a faller” after the game.
Lewis also reported that Banks “expected to hear” from defensive coordinator Brian Flores about a swim move he used to get past a lineman on Saturday.
That doesn’t make Banks a lost cause after one NFL game, but it does underline how much development he still needs before Minnesota gets the player it drafted.
The biggest reason Banks carried risk into the draft was health, and that same issue also slowed his growth. He spent his first two college seasons at Louisville, but appeared in only seven games across those years before transferring to Florida.
In 2023, he played 12 games and posted 19 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack. He then broke through in 2024 with 21 total tackles, seven tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.
Even that season didn’t come without setbacks. Foot and ankle discomfort cut it short, and although he was back for last year’s training camp, he aggravated the problem in a Sept. 13 game against LSU.
He did not return until Florida hosted Tennessee last November. Then came another blow: Banks fractured the fourth metatarsal in his left foot the night before on-field testing at February’s NFL Scouting Combine.
The encouraging part for Minnesota is that Banks moved well Saturday and didn’t show any lingering effects from the injury. Still, he also looked like a player who has only 929 collegiate snaps on his résumé, including just 96 in his final year with the Gators.
There is plenty in his game the Vikings can work with. Lewis said Banks pointed to his pad level as one reason things went sideways, and a live game may have given the rookie a sharper sense of what NFL competition feels like, even with New York Giants rookie Francis Mauigoa lining up across from him at times.
The upside remains obvious enough to keep Minnesota patient. Dane Brugler of The Athletic described Banks as a “rare combination of size, raw power and big-man twitch,” while also noting that his injury history pushed his draft grade down.
The Vikings need that talent to show up sooner rather than later. Jalen Redmond enters the season as an anchor on the interior defensive line, with rookie Domonique Orange and veteran Levi Drake Rodriguez expected to help fill out the rotation.
Extra push up front would also matter for a front seven that lost Jonathan Greenard in the offseason after he was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles. Dallas Turner remains in the mix, but if Banks develops quickly, some of the questions on the edge get easier to manage.
For now, though, this is still a work in progress, and Saturday was a reminder of just how much work is left.
In Other News...
Vikings Roster Battle Suddenly Centers On Two Crucial Defensive Spots
With the first preseason game in the books and final cutdown day drawing close, the Vikings are moving into the part of camp where the margins get thin and every projection starts to feel more fragile. An AI-generated 53-man roster aligned reasonably well with the offensive side of the picture, but it was on defense where the matchups and depth chart guesses began to drift from what has actually been unfolding in training camp.
Two areas stand out most as the roster picture comes into focus: rookie defensive tackle Caleb Banks and the collection of outside linebackers trying to earn their place. Nothing is official yet, and every version of the roster still carries a speculative edge, but the defense appears to be where the Vikings have the most to sort through before the final decisions are made. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Suddenly Need A Veteran Safety Before Week 1
Jamal Adams season-ending quadriceps tendon injury in the preseason left Minnesota searching for a veteran answer at safety with Week 1 closing in. The loss changes the look of the back end in a hurry, and it puts the front office in position to weigh both immediate depth and how much it wants to spend to stabilize a spot that was suddenly shaken up.
One speculative idea making the rounds would send the Vikings after Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin, with the move built around a late draft pick in 2027. It is only a proposal for now, not something confirmed by either team, but it reflects the reality Minnesota is facing: the need is real, the timing is urgent, and the options may not be as plentiful as they were just a few weeks ago. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings May Already Have Their Answer To The Jonathan Greenard Risk
The Vikings knew they were making a longer view move when they sent Jonathan Greenard to Philadelphia during the draft and brought back two third-round picks, a deal that was always about more than the immediate depth chart. Interim general manager Rob Brzezinski made clear the trade was tied to economic and organizational considerations, even if it did not figure to make Minnesota better right away.
What has given the Vikings some early comfort is the way Dallas Turner has looked in training camp and the preseason, giving them a young edge presence who could help soften the loss of Greenard. The idea was always to absorb some short-term risk for a broader payoff, and Turners development is already making that bet look a little less daunting. [Read more 🡒]