Caleb Banks, Florida Gators
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(Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
One of the bright spots in the Minnesota Vikings‘ 9-8 season was the defensive performance during the team’s five-game win streak to end the 2025 NFL season. Moreover, over the offseason, Minnesota held onto defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
Moreover, the Seattle Seahawks this past postseason showed that a defense can be the focal point of a playoff run, with a strong running game and a passing game in which the QB makes timely passes.
As a result, CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson is projecting that the Vikings will be bolstering their defense with the No. 18 overall pick by selecting former Florida Gators defensive tackle Caleb Banks.
“[Banks] was injured for much of the season with a foot injury, played early and late in the year, then he went to the Senior Bowl, practiced all three days, and was dominant each day,”Wilson said during a Feb. 16 appearance on CBS Sports HQ.
“He’s a legit 6‑foot‑6, 330 pounds, and has 35‑inch arms. Brian Flores will love having him in the middle of that defense. We just talked about Seattle and how they built their defense. We know what Brian Flores can do with the unit that they have there.”
Vikings Need to Improve Their Interior Defensive Line
Moreover, Wilson believes the Vikings’ whiffing on defensive tackle signings could be why Minnesota turns to the draft and selects Banks, who has that intimidating size.
“The thing is, they signed some free agents, Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. That didn’t quite work out—Jalen Redmond’s probably their best interior defensive lineman. Caleb Banks, when healthy, can take over football games.
“There are a lot of guys in this class along the defensive line that are really good against the run but aren’t necessarily stalwarts as pass rushers. Caleb checks both boxes, and he’s the guy that you let get off the bus first to send a message to the rest of the team that you’re about to face.”
Last season, the Vikings’ rush defense gave up 2,110 rushing yards, which was good enough to finish outside the bottom 10,per NFL.com. As a result, this aspect of the defense does need improving in the offseason.
Minnesota Gets Update on Potential QB Candidate
Meanwhile, the other position that needs upgrading is the QB position.During a Feb. 16 appearance on “The Herd,” Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer shared the latest on Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray and mentioned Minnesota as a landing spot for him.
“I think it probably makes it more likely that Arizona just flat‑out has to move off of him, cut him, and let him go to the market,” Breer added. “I think he will find a place that will view him as that reclamation project. Maybe it’s Minnesota, maybe it’s the Jets. We’ll see.
“But I think the contract situation makes it a little harder for the Cardinals to hang on to him and a little harder for the Cardinals to trade him, which makes it more likely that they’ll cut him.”
Since entering the NFL in 2019, Murray has thrown for 20,460 yards and 121 touchdowns,per StatMuse. Additionally, Murray has earned two Pro Bowl selections and was named Offensive Rookie of the Year.