No one knows quite what the Denver Broncos are going to do in the upcoming NFL draft, but they have scheduled a pre-draft visit with defensive tackle Caleb Banks of Florida, and he’s a fascinating possibility after his sudden rise up the draft board, according to Nikhil Mehta of ProFootballRumors.com.
Banks has been busy doing a lot of visits lately. So far he’s talked to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Baltimore Ravens and Arizona Cardinals, and his itinerary will also have him visiting the Broncos, the Detroit Lions, Tennessee Titans, Denver Broncos, Atlanta Falcons and the Los Angeles Chargers, so he’s clearly covering all the bases.
All of this has been precipitated by his outstanding performance at the NFL combine, which featured a 5.04 40-yard dash and a 9’6” broad jump by the 327-pound interior lineman. Banks' draft stock had cooled based on some medicals that reveled a foot fracture he suffered before taking the field at the combine, according to Mehta, and teams were understandably reluctant to use a top draft pick on Banks, even though his impressive performance occurred while he was still injured.
But Banks underwent surgery to fix the problem in mid-March, which also raised his stock despite the fact that he’s expected to miss some of his first NFL offseason program regardless of which team takes him. His busy schedule is almost certainly designed to reassure teams about his medicals, Mehta added, but Banks is a prime prospect in terms of talent and upside.
His arm length is 35 inches, which is a strong number, and Banks’ size and athleticism overwhelmed many of the offensive linemen he faced in college, even in the powerhouse SEC. He’ll need to fine-tune his technique, but evaluators feel Banks has all the necessary tools to succeed at the next level.
Banks would be something of a surprise selection for Denver given their lack of draft capital, but it’s not out of the question. The Broncos already have Zach Allen and Malcolm Roach anchoring the middle of their defense, but defensive coordinator Vance Joseph knows that adding a player like Banks would be yet another way to improve their pass rush, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility given the Broncos’ draft positions. He’s definitely an outlier for Denver right now, but that could easily change when the Broncos take to the podium on April 23 to announce their picks.