This Florida Gators star has received a rather disappointing ranking in the lead up to the NFL Draft.
The Florida Gators don't really have a whole lot of impressive talent heading into the NFL Draft this year, but they do have one potential first-rounder in defensive tackle Caleb Banks.
Banks is one of the most intriguing prospects in this year's draft class. He is a 6-foot-6, 330-pound behemoth with tremendous athleticism and could ultimately develop into a destructive force on the NFL level.
However, there are also some serious questions surrounding Banks, ranging from his health to his actual production.
Nevertheless, most feel he will still be a Day 1 pick later this month, and many are operating under the belief that he is the best defensive tackle in this group.
Dane Brugler of The Athletic, though, has actually slapped Banks with a rather disappointing ranking about two weeks away from the draft, placing him fourth in his defensive tackle rankings.
"Banks has a rare combination of size, raw power and big-man twitch, all of which lead to big-time flashes and glimpses of his ceiling," Brugler wrote. "However, the absence of a healthy senior season complicates his projection, and his draft grade will depend on each team’s appetite for risk."
Caleb Banks. Credit: Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.Banks played just three games this past year after suffering a broken foot early in the season, an injury that required surgery.
The 23-year-old then broke his foot yet again the night before the Scouting Combine. Banks didn't realize it at the time and worked out in Indianapolis, but the injury was later revealed and he underwent surgery once again.
There is no doubt that is concerning, especially for a man his size.
Not only that, but Banks does not really have a proven track record.
The Detroit native began his collegiate career at Louisville in 2021 and spent two years there, barely playing before transferring to Florida in 2023.
Banks' best season came in 2024, when he registered 21 tackles, seven tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. He accumulated a grand total of 48 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks throughout his NCAA tenure, so there really isn't much of a sample size.
If Banks does fly off the board in the first round, it will be because teams are banking on his freakish potential rather than his actual output.
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