- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,212,803
- Reaction score
- 59
Florida defensive lineman Caleb Banks continues to be featured in first-round mock drafts across the country.
The latest comes from NFL trending reporter Ayrton Ostly at USA TODAY Sports, who has the Houston Texans selecting Banks with the 28th overall pick.
"Houston’s defense is one of the scariest units in the NFL and should be that once again in 2026, but they have a need on the interior," Ostly said. "Banks could shore that up in a big way. A foot injury at the combine may drop his stock, but he’s one of the best at the position in the class at 6-foot-6 and 327 pounds."
Banks returned to Florida for his senior year after being a projected high-round pick in the 2025 draft cycle. He didn't get to play most of the season, recovering from an injury, but he finished the year with three tackles and three pressures over 94 snaps on the defensive line.
Pro Football Focus gave him a 68.8 overall defensive grade, a 68.5 run-defense grade, a 25.2 tackling grade, a 64.2 pass-rush grade and a 59.9 coverage grade. All of those figures, except for run-defense, are down from 2024 — 73.0, 67.9, 40.4, 73.2, 63.3, respectively.
At the draft combine, Banks posted a 5.04-second 40-yard dash, a 32-inch vertical jump and a 114-inch broad jump, making him one of the breakout stars of the event. There are questions about him being injury-prone, but the perceived upside might be enough for teams to take a chance on him in the first round.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: NFL mock draft has Florida football's Caleb Banks taken in first round
Continue reading...
The latest comes from NFL trending reporter Ayrton Ostly at USA TODAY Sports, who has the Houston Texans selecting Banks with the 28th overall pick.
"Houston’s defense is one of the scariest units in the NFL and should be that once again in 2026, but they have a need on the interior," Ostly said. "Banks could shore that up in a big way. A foot injury at the combine may drop his stock, but he’s one of the best at the position in the class at 6-foot-6 and 327 pounds."
Banks returned to Florida for his senior year after being a projected high-round pick in the 2025 draft cycle. He didn't get to play most of the season, recovering from an injury, but he finished the year with three tackles and three pressures over 94 snaps on the defensive line.
Pro Football Focus gave him a 68.8 overall defensive grade, a 68.5 run-defense grade, a 25.2 tackling grade, a 64.2 pass-rush grade and a 59.9 coverage grade. All of those figures, except for run-defense, are down from 2024 — 73.0, 67.9, 40.4, 73.2, 63.3, respectively.
At the draft combine, Banks posted a 5.04-second 40-yard dash, a 32-inch vertical jump and a 114-inch broad jump, making him one of the breakout stars of the event. There are questions about him being injury-prone, but the perceived upside might be enough for teams to take a chance on him in the first round.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: NFL mock draft has Florida football's Caleb Banks taken in first round
Continue reading...
