New Minnesota and former Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks has signed his rookie contract with the Vikings, the team announced.
According to Over the Cap, Banks' projected total contract value for being selected No. 18 overall in the first round is $21.3 million, including an average annual value of $5.32 million. Banks' signing bonus was not available at press time, but as a first-round pick, Banks' contract will be fully guaranteed and will include a fifth-year team option which the Vikings can pick up following his third NFL season.
A Detroit, Mich. native, Banks joined Florida as a transfer from Louisville ahead of the 2023 season and spent three seasons with the Gators.
Banks appeared in 27 games with UF, making 24 starts, recording 48 tackles with 10.5 for loss, 6.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, one defended pass, one fumble recovery, and per Pro Football Focus, 59 quarterback pressures and 21 defensive stops (tackles that constitute a failed play for the offense).
During his 2024 breakout season with Florida, Banks produced 21 tackles including seven for loss, 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, one defended pass, and a team-leading 29 quarterback pressures and 13 defensive stops. He finished the year with a 73.0 overall defensive grade from PFF, earning 67.9 run defense and 73.2 pass rush marks.
However, Banks sustained multiple injuries to his left foot last year, before and during the 2025 season, limiting him to three appearances throughout the campaign. Still, he accepted an invitation to the Panini Senior Bowl in January, where he notably stood out during multiple practice sessions in front of NFL coaches and scouting personnel.
Banks aggravated his foot injury while training for the NFL Combine and underwent surgery to treat the injury in March, although he was able to participate in select Combine drills.
Despite the injury, Banks managed to produce a 5.04-second result in the 40-yard dash, which ranks in the 60th percentile among defensive tackles to participate in the NFL Combine since 1999, per MockDraftable. He also posted a 32-inch vertical jump (79th percentile) and 114-inch broad jump (92nd percentile) at the event, while standing at 6-foot-6 1/4, 327 pounds.
The interior defensive line stood out as a significant need for Minnesota ahead of the NFL Draft, after the Vikings moved on from defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, who combined for seven sacks in 2025, this offseason.
This bodes well for Banks as he should be on an inside track to start at defensive tackle for Minnesota as a rookie, so long as he fully recovers from his foot injury before the season begins, as expected.
Banks appears poised for a first-team role at three-technique next to third-year nose tackle Levi Drake Rodriguez, which could turn into a formidable pair, as the latter broke out with eight tackles for loss in a rotational capacity last year. The Vikings' third-round pick, defensive tackle Domonique Orange, should earn snaps in the team's defensive tackle rotation, as well.
"Really excited about adding a player of Caleb's talent," Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said after Banks' selection. "Really felt like we were able to identify a player with the ceiling [that] we believe to be a top 10 caliber talent and difference maker, potentially in a place where we really wanted to add some size and youth to that defensive line."
Banks marks Florida's sixth 2026 NFL Draft pick to sign his rookie deal, following Green Bay Packers kicker Trey Smack, Dallas Cowboys cornerback Devin Moore, Buffalo Bills punter Tommy Doman, Indianapolis Colts edge rusher George Gumbs Jr and Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Austin Barber.
Only former Gators center Jake Slaughter, the Los Angeles Chargers' second-round pick, remains unsigned.