Former Gators’ Caleb Banks Makes Vikings’ 53-Man Roster as Starter
NFL reps have not come easy for former Florida defensive lineman Caleb Banks, but he’s cleared his first hurdle: making the 53-man roster.
The deadline for NFL teams to cut their rosters down to 53 was Sunday. Banks survived the cuts and is slotted in as the starting nose tackle going into the Vikings’ Week 1 game against the Packers.
In two preseason games of action, Banks struggled, recording four tackles across 50 total snaps. Pro Football Focus gave him a grade of 30.4, placing him at the bottom of first-round rookies. In the second game, he improved but still produced a 48.1 overall grade.
“To be honest, I’m out of shape right now,” Banks said. “I need to run more gassers after practice; you guys will see me doing that.”
Drafted in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft in April, Banks had shown promise in his years at Florida; however, analysts had seen issues going in.
“His traits and flashes at the Senior Bowl make him an enticing prospect, but injury concerns are a potential stumbling block for him,” NFL analyst Lance Zierlein said in February.
At Florida, Banks played every game of his first two seasons, gaining a total of 40 tackles across both years. His 2024 season was especially notable, due to his 4.5 sacks and 7 tackles for loss. PFF graded that season at a 73.0 for Banks — second among Florida’s interior linemen that year behind Desmond Watson’s 75.4.
A nagging foot injury persisted before his senior season began, limiting him to three games. The ailment resurfaced in February at the NFL Scouting Combine, where he broke his foot, requiring surgery on March 9.
The Vikings have Banks slotted as the starting nose tackle in a base 3-4 scheme that blitzed 48% of the time in 2025, leading the league.
While Banks hasn’t played the best brand of football in the preseason, he showed enough promise for the defensive-minded coach, Brian Flores.
“I think we’ve got to give them time to really get their feet on the ground, literally on the field and figuratively, just as far as understanding the pro game, the routines, the habits that they’ve got to build to really reach their optimum potential,” Flores said.
Category: Gator Sports, Gators Football, NFL
