The Minnesota Vikings will embark on their second preseason game this Saturday, taking on the Baltimore Ravens, and in the meantime, VikesNow is counting down the most important players of the 2026 campaign. Rookie defensive tackle Caleb Banks gets the call at No. 14.
Banks joined the Vikings as a 1st-round pick in April, becoming Minnesota’s first defensive tackle selected in Round 1 since Sharrif Floyd in 2013.
Why a Rookie Already Belongs in the Top 15
Banks’s Role in 2026
This is a mystery. Jot it down. No one is sure whether Banks will be in the starting lineup on September 13, when the Green Bay Packers roll into U.S. Bank Stadium. Maybe, maybe not.
Still, Banks’s role in 2026 is simple: he must partake enough on defense to trend positively for 2027. The Vikings can’t afford another failed draft pick. They just can’t.
Banks doesn’t necessarily need to become an every-down starter right away. Minnesota’s first unofficial depth chart listed him as a backup, but he’s already rotated with the first-team defense at training camp camp.
His immediate objective is straightforward: to be a disruptive rotational lineman and gradually earn a more prominent role from defensive coordinator Brian Flores. At 6-foot-6 and 327 pounds, Banks brings tantalizing size and length to a defensive line that saw the departure of Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave back in March.
If his technique matches his natural abilities, a rotational role could quickly morph into a starting position.
What Success Looks Like
Banks just needs playing time. Plain and simple. Young defensive tackles often take longer to blossom than other NFLers at various positions; there’s no reason to believe that Banks will be a total stud on Day One.
As a rookie, his contributions are basic: he must stay healthy and show enough interior pass-rush ability to pressure quarterbacks. His potential was evident in the 2024 season at Florida, where he recorded 4.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss in 12 games, before a foot injury sidelined him for much of the 2025 season.
A successful rookie year would mean securing regular rotational snaps, defending the run effectively, generating pressure, and adapting to Flores’ intricate defensive scheme. If Banks establishes himself as a steady snap taker by December or so, fans will be content.
NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah said of Banks during the draft process, “He’s got all that ability. When he’s at his best, you cannot move him. He uses those 35-inch arms. He locks out blockers, and you can’t move him.”
“Against the run, he’s going to reset the line of scrimmage. He’s just too big and long and powerful.”
What Could Make This Ranking Look Too Low – – or Too High
Obviously, the No. 14 ranking will be too low if Banks defies the odds and balls out right away. He has a long way to go, as the Vikings’ first preseason game showed that Banks isn’t ready for immediate stardom. He did not play well last weekend.
Still, Banks could learn quickly and eventually put a Pro Bowl-like dent in his rookie season.
Otherwise, this ranking will be too high if Banks fires up a quiet rookie season – – which is possible. He missed most of the 2025 season due to a foot injury, and the aforementioned preseason debut also revealed areas for technical refinement. Should his development continue into 2026, a No. 14 ranking might be overly optimistic.
Next in the Countdown
The countdown nears the Top 10, so let’s review the pecking order so far:
40 | Myles Price (WR)
39 | Tai Felton (WR)
38 | Demond Claiborne (RB)
37 | Caleb Tiernan (OT)
36 | Bo Richter (OLB)
35 | Theo Jackson (S)
34 | Ivan Pace Jr. (LB)
33 | Levi Drake Rodriguez (DT)
32 | Ryan Van Demark (OT)
31 | Charles Demmings (CB)
30 | Jakobe Thomas (S)
29 | Josh Oliver (TE)
28 | Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (DL)
27 | Jake Golday (LB)
26 | Domonique Orange (DT)
25 | James Pierre (CB)
24 | Eric Wilson (LB)
23 | Jay Ward (S)
22 | Jauan Jennings (WR)
21 | Aaron Jones (RB)
20 | J.J. McCarthy (QB)
19 | Isaiah Rodgers (CB)
18 | Josh Metellus (S)
17 | Blake Brandel (C)
16 | Will Fries (RG)
15 | Will Reichard (K)
14 | Caleb Banks (DT)
At No. 13, veteran inside linebacker Blake Cashman is up, who is due for a contract extension and starts Year No. 3 with the Vikings when the regular season hits.
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VikesNow Verdict: The Vikings didn’t spend the No. 18 pick on Banks to hide him on the depth chart. If his enormous physical tools translate sooner rather than later, he could become one of Flores’s most menacing pieces before his rookie season is over.
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