Vikings use first-round pick on Florida DT Caleb Banks, who broke his foot before the combine

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings selected Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks with the 18th pick in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night, adding some interior bulk and athleticism with a raw prospect whose recent injury likely pushed him down the board.

The 6-foot-6, 327-pound Banks cracked the fourth metatarsal bone in his left foot in February while practicing for the 40-yard dash the night before the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. He had surgery on it last month, his second procedure in six months. Injuries to his left foot caused him to miss games in both 2023 and 2025 for the Gators.

“We have the best doctors in the country, if not the world, and we have complete confidence in them,” Vikings interim general manager Rob Brzezinski said. “There’s nothing without risk in any player you select, but we feel really good about where Caleb will be when it’s time to go to training camp. So we’re comfortable with the injury.”

Banks told reporters that the second injury was due in part to him wearing the wrong type of cleats, but that a recent CT scan went well and his recovery is on schedule.

He said he looked forward to showing the Vikings and defensive coordinator Brian Flores what he can do on the field.