Was it a Reach? – Caleb Banks

Was it a Reach

Many years ago, I created Why the Slide and Why Undrafted in response to questions about why certain well-known prospects were selected lower or not drafted at all in the NFL Draft. This year, I thought to expand to see if a player was a reach. The answer to whether a player was a reach is as simple as the player was valued at that spot by the team that drafted him. However, other teams may not agree with that grade, so I thought I would check if certain players were actual reaches in the NFL Draft.

For these articles, I reach out to sources with NFL teams to find out where their teams valued this player. The positive response to “Why Undrafted” and questions from readers about why prospects were drafted lower than the media’s expectations led us to create the parallel series “Why the Slide?” and now, “Was it a Reach?”

The trio of series is back this year. Feel free to email me requests at [email protected]. I can’t promise to get to all of them, but I will do my best and definitely will respond to the email.

Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks had a yo-yo in the public perception of his draft stock during the 2026 NFL Draft cycle. Banks entered the 2025 season as a likely first-rounder, but then barely played for Florida as an injury cost him almost the entire season. Banks returned to the field for the Senior Bowl and had an excellent week of practice in Mobile. However, Banks suffered a broken foot around the time of the combine, and that seemed to push Banks into day two status from durability concerns. At the very end of the process, reports emerged that many teams’ medical staff had given Banks a green light and that restored belief that he could go in the first round. Still, it was a surprise when he went in the top 20 picks.

Sources from other teams had mixed things to say if Banks was a reach in the top 20. One director of player personnel from a team that has won a Super Bowl in the past decade said that Banks did not have top-20 film, but he does have a top-20 skill set. Sources at other teams said there were some character and medical concerns that made him a wild card to predict.

The Minnesota Vikings took Banks, and that was a good landing spot for him. After moving on from some disappointing veterans, the Vikings needed youth on the inside of the defensive line, and Banks is a good fit for Brian Flores’ defense. Banks is versatile, where he can be a run-stuffing nose tackle, a disrupting three technique, and be a five technique if they go to 3-4 sets. If Banks can stay healthy, he could turn into a very good starter for Minnesota.