This Florida Gators star is seeing his NFL Draft stock skyrocket.
Florida Gators defensive tackle Caleb Banks played in just three games this past season due to a foot injury that required surgery and sidelined him most of the year.
Perhaps that's the secret to a surging NFL Draft stock.
Banks is suddenly rocketing up draft boards and has gone from being widely viewed as a Day 2 selection to a potential top-10 pick this April.
Ian Cummings of Pro Football Network is the latest to predict Banks to land in the top 10, projecting him to go ninth overall to the Kansas City Chiefs in his recent seven-round mock draft.
"Just how high can Caleb Banks go in the 2026 NFL Draft? That’s the golden question this year," Cummings wrote. "He has a medical history to vet, he doesn’t have a large sample size of production, and his pad level can be inconsistent. But at the end of the day, pit him against other noteworthy prospects, and his superlative physical tools make the difference."
Banks was very impressive at the Senior Bowl, and there is no doubt that his 6-foot-6, 330-pound frame makes him an intriguing piece for a team looking for a mountain in the middle of is defense.
Caleb Banks. Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images.The 24-year-old spent the first three years of his collegiate career at Louisville before transferring to Florida in 2024, where he registered 21 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and a couple of forced fumbles.
That was really the extent of Banks' production on the NCAA level.
Banks amassed 48 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks throughout his collegiate tenure, so NFL teams don't really have a whole lot to go off of when it comes to what Banks actually produced statistically.
Of course, scouting departments will be picking over Banks' film with a fine-toothed comb, and they surely have enough of that based on his 2024 campaign alone.
Banks is part of a very compelling defensive tackle draft class that also includes Clemson's Peter Woods, Texas Tech's Lee Hunter and Georgia's Christen Miller.
For most of the year, Woods was viewed as the cream of the crop, but a late rise by Banks coupled with a late fall by Woods has changed things in the minds of some.
The Scouting Combine later this month will tell us a whole lot about Banks' stock heading into April.
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