Vikings DT Caleb Banks is a work in progress, and Brian Flores is seeing both sides of it
Even though Caleb Banks was a first-round pick, it was evident on film that he would be somewhat of a project.
When the Minnesota Vikings drafted defensive tackle Caleb Banks with the 18th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, I was very excited. It’s so rare to see a player with his combination of size and skill set enter the NFL.
Through the first two preseason games, we’ve seen the best and worst Banks has to offer, further confirming that he’s very far from being a finished product. That isn’t lost on defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who has seen everything from Banks through training camp.
“I’m looking at this meeting, to walk through the practice, to the habits that are being built, the routine that we’re seeing start to evolve,” said Flores on Tuesday afternoon. “Probably the best word. The routine that’s starting to evolve, and I think he’s seeing. ‘Hey, when I do this, this, and this, I get the results I’m looking for” and every rookie’s that way.”
Brian Flores has seen good things from Caleb Banks
We’ve seen a lot from Banks in the first two preseason games, and there were questions about if he was in shape or not. He confirmed that he wasn’t quite in shape yet, but it’s also not a massive deal. He did spend most of the offseason healing from a broken foot, which can easily equate to a lack of cardiovascular shape.
Even with that, the flashes Banks has shows equates to why the Vikings drafted him. Flores praised how well Banks has been doing.
“Caleb’s doing a real nice job. I think he’s improving. You know, the one thing about him is he works, and it’s important to him. And in my experience, guys who work at it and continually try to improve, they improve and develop. And so I think he and really the rest of the rookie group is doing a good job.”
The big thing with Banks will be patience. He isn’t going to fix his pad level and leverage issues overnight. What he will likely do is show incremental growth throughout the year, and that will be huge in furthering his development. It’s a marathon with Banks, not a sprint, and Flores, along with defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen, are the right people to get the most out of him.
