Caleb Banks

Summary

Caleb Banks (23 years old) is a defensive tackle who began his college career at Louisville (2021–2022) before transferring to Florida in 2023, with that move representing the only transfer of his career. In 2025, Banks was limited to spot action and finished with 6 total tackles (2 solo) and no sacks, as a foot injury significantly impacted both his availability and his ability to build momentum. Even with the shortened season, he entered the year with an NFL-caliber profile after a productive 2024 campaign and was viewed as a potential all-conference interior presence when healthy, later adding postseason visibility via the all-star circuit. Banks has maintained solid academic standing throughout his multi-program career and is widely viewed as a mature, team-oriented worker whose size, effort, and willingness to play through contact consistently draw praise from coaches, with no publicly reported significant off-field incidents. From an injury standpoint, Banks has been notably injury-prone, missing the 2024 Gasparilla Bowl due to a foot injury that required offseason surgery, then missing the first two games of 2025 with a foot issue before reinjuring the same foot vs. LSU and missing seven additional games, making long-term durability a central evaluation point.

Strengths

  • Pterodactyl Mastodon: Extremely long frame for a defensive tackle with wild wingspan and 35” arms. Creates natural obstruction in passing lanes and makes guards deal with extended reach. Even when he doesn’t win cleanly, his frame affects QB sightlines.

  • Flash Step: When he times the snap, he can cross a guard’s face and penetrate before hands land. Particularly effective on angled fronts and twist games where he can attack space rather than anchor.

  • Collapser: When he stays low and extends, he can forklift and compress the interior rather than just occupying space. When he lands first, he can lock out and peek into adjacent gaps. He pressure rate and penetrates quickly into the backfield.

  • Pass Rush Upside: Shows ability to win on slants and movement with stride length and long-arm leverage. Size + movement combination gives him higher upside than typical interior depth pieces.

Weaknesses

  • Pad Level Battle: Naturally high-hipped and plays tall. When he loses leverage, he gets uprooted or washed laterally. Will lose footing or narrow his base when guards attack low and inside.

  • Injury Woes: Banks has missed a good portion of his collegiate career with injuries, so bit of a gamble there.

  • Play Strength vs Frame: Looks massive, but doesn’t always convert that size into consistent knock-back power. Can get displaced when combo blocks get into his chest before he sets base. Flashes dominant reps but will disappear for stretches when leverage slips.

  • Raw Technique Wins more off movement and length than refined interior counters. Can chase penetration and create natural cutback lanes if he overcommits.

Outlook

Banks projects as a long, disruptive interior defender with rare size, heavy hands, and the ability to collapse the pocket with power while flashing enough quickness to penetrate on passing downs. He fits best in multiple-front defenses that deploy him as a 3-technique or 4i who can attack upfield in one-gap concepts while still anchoring against double teams in even or odd fronts. Following a big Combine performance in Indianapolis, Banks is trending as a Round 1 prospect with mid-to-late first-round value due to his size-athleticism combination and interior pass-rush upside.

Pro Comparison: Albert Haynesworth

Team Fits: HOU, SF, LAC, LV, JAX