Hidden away in the bowels of the Caesars Superdome, the New Orleans Saints locker room was bumping.
Fifty-three faces were adorned with smiles or grins, mixed in with booming laughter that filled the air. After four tough weeks to open the season, the Saints finally captured their first victory of the season in a 26-14 win over the New York Giants Sunday afternoon.
“It’s the first one, it’s always a good feeling,” former Texas Longhorn and current New Orleans Saints left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. said. “It’s always nice to have one, capitalize on what we did and go forward from there.”
Along with the rest of the Saints’ offensive line, Banks was stellar against a stiff Giants pass rush, giving starting quarterback Spencer Rattler enough time to get his throws off in the team’s first victory.
Despite being one of the youngest offensive tackles in the NFL at 21 years old, Banks Jr. does not lack playing experience against talented fronts. It’s one of the reasons why the Saints selected him so high and gave him the starting spot on the offense’s second most important position — left tackle.
Playing meaningful football well into the postseason with the Longhorns the past two years has given the Saints franchise tackle a good glimpse into the grind and the expectation of the uber-long NFL season.
“It definitely gave me a good taste of it,” Banks Jr. said. “It definitely gave me an idea of what it would be like … that definitely helped me out.”
The “offseason” prior to a rookie’s first NFL season is not a true rest period, especially for an elite talent. It was a quick turnaround for Banks Jr. From recovery after the College Football Playoff to quickly training for the NFL Combine — it’s no easy feat.
Fortunately for the Humble, Texas native, he did not have to wait long before getting “the call,” becoming the first of three Longhorns to land in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft.
His former Texas teammate, linebacker Jaylan Ford, was waiting for him in New Orleans and was one of the first to welcome him to the Saints. However, Ford wasn’t the only one. Texas A&M alumnus and Saints offensive lineman Erik McCoy also reached out quickly.
“As soon as I got drafted, Erik (McCoy) and Jaylan (Ford) texted me instantly and said, ‘Hey man, glad to have you,’” Banks Jr. said. “When I saw that, I knew I was coming to a great place.”
Just five games into his professional career, Banks Jr. is more focused on continuing his development and avoiding hitting that feared rookie plateau that some players struggle with when making the jump to the pros.
“A lot of people say they hit that rookie wall, so trying to dodge that as much as I can,” Banks said. “So just trying to stay consistent and stay focused on my job and everything should fall into place.”
Saints right tackle Taliese Fuaga and Banks Jr., the Saints’ last two first-round picks and future at the tackle position, played all 66 offensive snaps in their first win, and according to Pro Football Focus, allowed only one quarterback pressure between the two.
“We’ve got two really good first-round pick tackles, they’ve got some of the best edge rush first-round picks the last few years and for our guys to play that well was a credit to those guys,” head coach Kellen Moore [said to a NOLA reporter](https://www.nola.com/). “They played arguably as good a game as they’ve played this year.”
The antithesis of the offensive line’s play came near the end of the first half. The Saints, pinned on their 13-yard line, went bold, drawing up a deep pass play to gain some semblance of momentum.
With the defense line crashing in towards Rattler, the Saints’ line held firm on the pressure. Rattler, with plenty of time in the pocket, connected with Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed for a massive 87-yard touchdown reception.
That cued up Fats Domino’s hit “When the Saints go marching in,” over the loudspeakers for the first time on Sunday and a very long walk for everyone down on the opposite side of the field for the celebration and the extra point attempt.
“They’ve been great all year,” Rattler said of his offensive line. “They’ve worked their tails off — that’s not an easy front to deal with — a lot of speed, a lot of power, a lot of experience.”
New Orleans still has a lot of work to do before it starts competing for divisional titles and playoff spots, but down in the trenches, Banks Jr. and the rest of the offensive line have the potential to be one of the most formidable units in the NFL in the near future.