Florida football DT Caleb Banks a 1st-round pick in latest mock draft

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The graduating class from the Florida football program is a bit thinner than some years prior, as far as NFL draft prospects are concerned.

Following a 4-8 showing in 2025, no notable names really rose to the top to join a pair of seniors who received a great deal of hype in the preseason. Those two being center Jake Slaughter, who has been showered with accolades after yet another successful campaign on the gridiron, along with defensive tackle Caleb Banks, who missed much of the season due to an injured foot.

USA TODAY Sports writer Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz recently released his latest 2026 mock NFL draft, with the latter cracking the first round at No. 26, where he is projected to be selected by the Los Angeles Chargers.

"A broken foot derailed Banks' season, but don't sleep on the 6-6, 330-pounder's chances of cracking the first round," Middlehurst-Schwartz notes. "He offers more pass-rushing upside than many of the other massive interior defenders in this draft, and he would still enable Jim Harbaugh to play the brand of bully ball he desires."

Banks did not see action this fall until he started Florida's Week 3 matchup with the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge. However, his issue continued to flare up, holding him out of action until the penultimate regular-season game at home against the Tennessee Volunteers; he started both that game and the final game of the schedule against the FSU Seminoles in the Swamp.

He is set to participate in the 2026 Panini Senior Bowl, held on Jan. 31, 2026, at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Alabama.

USA TODAY Sports 2026 mock NFL draft first round​

1. (PROPOSED TRADE) New York Jets (from New York Giants) – Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
2. Las Vegas Raiders – Dante Moore, QB, Oregon
3. Tennessee Titans – Arvell Reese, LB/DE, Ohio State
4. Cleveland Browns – Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
5. (PROPOSED TRADE) Giants (from Jets) – Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State
6. Arizona Cardinals – Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
7. New Orleans Saints – Keldric Faulk, DE, Auburn
8. Washington Commanders – Rueben Bain Jr., DE, Miami (Fla.)
9. Cincinnati Bengals – Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
10. Los Angeles Rams (from Atlanta Falcons) – Spencer Fano, OT, Utah
11. Miami Dolphins – Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
12. Kansas City Chiefs – David Bailey, DE/OLB, Texas Tech
13. Minnesota Vikings – Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
14. Dallas Cowboys – Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
15. Baltimore Ravens – Peter Woods, DT, Clemson
16. Carolina Panthers – Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon
17. Detroit Lions – Francis Mauigoa, OT/G, Miami (Fla.)
18. (PROPOSED TRADE) Giants (from Colts via Jets) – Brandon Cisse, CB, South Carolina
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – CJ Allen, LB, Georgia
20. Pittsburgh Steelers – Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama
21. Philadelphia Eagles – Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson
22. Houston Texans – Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio State
23. Cowboys (from Green Bay Packers) – T.J. Parker, DE, Clemson
24. Buffalo Bills – Denzel Boston, WR, Washington
25. Chicago Bears – A'Mauri Washington, DT, Oregon
26. Los Angeles Chargers – Caleb Banks, DT, Florida
27. San Francisco 49ers – Makai Lemon, WR, USC
28. Browns (from Jacksonville Jaguars) – Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama
29. Rams – Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo
30. New England Patriots – Cashius Howell, OLB/DE, Texas A&M
31. Seattle Seahawks – Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee
32. Denver Broncos – KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M

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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida football DT Caleb Banks a 1st-round pick in latest mock draft

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