Who Is Minnesota Vikings 2026 NFL Draft Pick Caleb Banks?

The Minnesota Vikings have made their first selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, opting to go with a defensive player with their 18th overall pick in this year's draft.

Pre-draft speculation pointed to a handful of players including tight end Kenyon Sadiq (picked by the Jets at 16) or a more likely pick of safety Dillon Thieneman as a Harrison Smith replacement (who was available for the Vikings to pick).

In the end, Minnesota decided to go with a defensive lineman.

The Vikings made the decision to shore up their defensive line with defensive tackle Caleb Banks out of Florida. The 6'6", 327-pound defensive player has proven to be a stud when he's on the field, but he only played 3 games in his last year of college following a few different broken foot injuries limiting his time in the last couple of years.

While some critics say this makes taking Banks a high-risk, high-reward selection, the Vikings seem excited about their pick, hoping he brings some stability to a defensive line that has seen some turnover through the last couple of seasons. Assuming he can live up to his potential and rebound from his foot injuries, there are reasons to be excited.

Some of the top NFL Draft minds labeled him among the best couple of players at his position available this year. Football pundits say he could be an All-Pro if he lives up to the potential he showed in college. Those are certainly exciting thoughts for Vikings fans if they turn out to be true as he enters the league.

While we have to wait to see him in game action, we can at least get to know more about who he is in the meantime. To start, here's a look at him in a Vikings hat after getting the news Minnesota picked him.

And another clip from the Vikings.

So, who is new Minnesota Vikings player Caleb Banks? Here's a look at who is is and where he's from.

Caleb Banks was born in Detroit, Michigan on March 12, 2003. He played his high school football at Southfield A&T. Banks was a multi-sport athlete, also playing basketball in high school. He had offers from Cincinnati, Michigan and Tennessee, and other teams, but headed to Louisville to start his college career.

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Banks played 6 games as a red-shirt freshman at Louisville before entering the transfer portal to head to the University of Florida. While at Florida, he logged 19 solo tackles and 27 assisted with a pair of forced fumbles, and 5.5 sacks among some of his stat highlights in his 27 games with the Gators.

Caleb is the third player the Vikings have ever selected out of Florida in the first round of the NFL Draft. The other two? Percy Harvin in 2009 and Sharrif Floyd 2013. Overall, Banks is the 12th Florida Gator the Vikings have taken in the Draft over the years.

Here's hoping Banks has a better NFL career than his fellow Gator alum did on defense, with Floyd only playing a couple of seasons with the Vikings before ending his playing career following complciations from a meniscus surgery.

The Vikings have left in the Draft the following picks, assuming they don't make any trades:

Round 2, 49th Overall (Friday)
Round 3, 82nd Overall (Friday)
Round 3, 97th Overall (Saturday)
Round 5, 163rd Overall (Saturday)
Round 6, 196th Overall (Saturday)
Round 7, 234th Overall (Saturday)
Round 7, 235th Overall (Saturday)
Round 7, 244th Overall (Saturday)

Here's a look back at other first round picks the Vikings have made in the team's history:

History of Minnesota Vikings' 1st Round Draft Picks - Year by Year

The Minnesota Vikings started to participate in the NFL Draft in 1961. Over the years they have had a few great picks, some really good picks, some solid picks, and as we all know, some total busts and what were they thinking moments. Below is a history of all their first-round picks and some information so you can make the call for yourself on how they faired with each one.