Latest CBS Sports Mock Draft Says Huge Gator for Vikings
Barring a trade, the Minnesota Vikings will be on the clock in nine weeks to pick 18th in Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft. Most expect the franchise to select a defensive player after picking offensive guard Donovan Jackson in 2025, and CBS Sports agrees with that assessment. Josh Edwards published a mock draft this week, and his vision for Minnesota in Round 1 was Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks.
A Minnesota-Florida pairing makes sense on paper, with Banks offering size and disruption potential as the Vikings keep rebuilding the iDL.
Banks is rapidly rising draftboards because of his size and production, and it would not be weird at all for him to end up with the Vikings.
A Florida DT Shows Up in a New Vikings Mock Draft
Banks is a new twist in Vikings mock drafts.
Edwards: Banks to MIN at No. 18
Edwards mock-drafted Clemson cornerback Avieon Terrell to the Detroit Lions one pick ahead of Minnesota. Terrell is arguably the most frequently mock-drafted player in Minnesota’s orbit since the offseason began.
But Edwards flipped the script, picking Banks for Minnesota and writing, “Caleb Banks missed most of this season due to injury, but his size cannot be taught. The conversation is similar to Deone Walker last year, and Walker had a good rookie season. Minnesota has an organizational history of taking bigger defensive tackles.”
The Vikings notably passed on Makai Lemon (WR, USC –> to Steelers) and Kayden McDonald (DT, Ohio State –> to Bears) in Edwards’s mock.
The Scouting Report
Banks is enormous; let’s get that out of the way. He’s 6’6″ and 330 pounds, and he’ll turn 23 in March, making him somewhat more game-ready than a 21- or 22-year-old. Banks is known for size (obviously), first-step quickness in beating centers and guards, and his power is undeniable. He played 34 games at Louisville and Florida, logging 10.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks.
NFL Draft Buzz on Banks: “Here is the deal with Banks: the physical tools are rare and the athletic profile is legitimate, but the technique has not caught up yet.”
“A 4-3 scheme where he can attack upfield as a three-technique pass rusher makes the most sense, allowing him to use his first-step quickness and length to disrupt timing in the pocket. Asking him to hold the point of attack as a two-gapping nose tackle exposes his high pad level and gives double teams too many opportunities to move him off his spot.”
Banks ranks at No. 24 on the Consensus Big Board, suggesting he’ll be more than gettable for Minnesota, assuming his draft profile doesn’t surge after the NFL Combine.
TBD added, “He needs a role that emphasizes penetration over occupation. Banks is the definition of a boom or bust prospect. Whoever drafts him is betting on ceiling over floor, and that is not necessarily a bad wager. The Senior Bowl showed he can take coaching and make adjustments in real time.”
“His willingness to work and his motor suggest the development curve will continue trending upward.”
The Revamped DT Corps
The Vikings have a rather thick DT room entering the 2026 offseason, though a man like Javon Hargrave could suffer a cap casualty fate. Without any cuts, while inserting Banks into the mix per the CBS Sports mock draft, the DT unit would look like this in 2026:
- Jalen Redmond
- Jonathan Allen
- Caleb Banks
- Javon Hargrave
- Levi Drake Rodriguez
- Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins
- Elijah Williams
- Taki Taimani
That would be the Vikings’ deepest DT group in eons, even if Hargrave left for free agency.
Ending a Drought
In the last 13 drafts, the Vikings have drafted six defensive tackles before the end of Round 5:
- Sharrif Floyd (Round 1, 2013)
- James Lynch (Round 4, 2020)
- Jaleel Johnson (Round 4, 2017)
- Jaquelin Roy (Round 5, 2023)
- Esezi Otomewo (Round 5, 2022)
- Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (Round 5, 2025)
The Green Bay Packers, for example, have drafted four in the first three rounds alone during the same timeframe. The Baltimore Ravens have picked six DTs before the end of Round 3 since 2013.
Minnesota is overdue — severely overdue — to draft defensive tackles with picks that matter.
So, Banks as a mock-draft target is a step in the right direction. Our Janik Eckardt called Banks his “draft crush” last week and explained, “The Vikings lack a massive human being in the running game. Banks brings that to the table and can be a real difference-maker in the ground game.”
“He pairs that frame with nice short-area quickness, giving him an intriguing ceiling. With Jalen Redmond already in the building, the Vikings could form the interior duo for years to come by picking up the projected 1st-Round talent.”
The 2026 NFL Draft is 65 days away.
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