https://atozsports.com/nfl/vikings-dt-caleb-banks-fascinating-debut-vs-giants-appear-sturggle-what-matters-not-worrisome/

Vikings DT Caleb Banks had fascinating debut vs. Giants, appearing to struggle. Here’s what matters and why it’s not worrisome

The Minnesota Vikings’ first-round pick DT Caleb Banks didn’t have the most exciting NFL debut, but it was informative.

There has been a lot of excitement about the Minnesota Vikings‘ NFL Draft class. We’ve seen a lot of positive hype coming out of training camp with a lot of attention being paid to the likes of cornerback Charles Demmings, nose tackle Domonique Orange, and linebacker Jake Golday.

Of all the draft picks the Vikings have had, the least talked about one might be defensive tackle Caleb Banks. Even though he was the 18th overall pick and the Vikings’ only selection in the top-50, he hasn’t been on the field much after healing all offseason from a broken foot suffered at the NFL Scouting Combine.

In his NFL debut against the New York Giants, Banks played 25 snaps, and his performance was not viewed highly across the fanbase. Was it that poor? Let’s talk about the film.

Caleb Banks’ NFL debut was interesting

Let’s get this out of the way: it wasn’t as good as hoped. In those 25 snaps, Banks earned a PFF grade of 30.4, which is nearly 30 points under what they consider an average grade of 60. That isn’t what anyone would consider good, and understanding the why behind it is really important.

In the 25 plays, there were a lot of different elements at play. Within the 25 plays, this is how they break down in terms of result.

You’ll notice a lot of negative or net-neutral plays in there, including more results than there were plays. He also was asked to do a lot of different things, plus had to react to other aspects of the play. The biggest factor of the entire game was something that we knew was going to happen frequently: getting stood up due to his size.

This is a big factor to the Banks discussion. He measured in at 6-6 5/8 and 327 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine, which is massive for an interior defensive lineman. He also has 35″ arms, which also creates another issue. When you play on the edge, having that kind of arm length is a huge asset. When you play on the inside, that can create issues with engaging initially against offensive linemen.

Within his 25 snaps, 16 of them are at 3T with two at nose tackle and seven more at 5T. None of those make it easy to maximize the arm length, which is an understandable issue. It’s something I asked him about at the Senior Bowl.

Those size issues were something that we knew would be a work in progress, and it’s not a huge deal that he experienced them in his debut. The key isn’t going to be that he struggled, but rather how he grows over the next weeks and months.

Banks has all the ability in the world to continue to grow within his frame, and defensive coordinator Brian Flores has the tools to develop him. The one thing he’s great at right now is slashing gaps to get penetration.

Caleb Banks will get stood up regularly due to his high pad level and height, but this is where his early value will be: slashing gaps and getting penetration pic.twitter.com/p6eNA5FTnh

— Tyler Forness (@TheRealForno) August 16, 2026

That will be the key to unlocking his success right away, as it’s hard to keep that pad level low for someone his size. As an individual who is a very similar size to Banks, it’s really hard to get low. That can improve over time, but it’s likely not going to be fully fixed ever, because his size is very rare.

Is that going to be a problem? Not particularly, but you will have some ugly losses in the process. Even with those losses, Banks has the size and length to impact passing lanes, which will do a lot to mitigate those losses. He also knows how to peek and shed well, which comes in handy with two-gapping.

Overall, Banks’ debut may not have been as good as you hoped it would be, but the struggles aren’t nearly as bad as they appear on the surface. He’s right where expectations were at with me, and it’s only going to get better from here.

This is the danger with Caleb Banks' pad level being poor. Offensive linemen can drive him off the spot and dictate where he goes pic.twitter.com/GMkgm0j0Fh

— Tyler Forness (@TheRealForno) August 18, 2026

Cricket wrote:

https://x.com/TheRealForno/status/2089556799212949965?s=20

Granted it was 1 play in preseason and it will happen many more times - but see what happens if he starts manhandling these guards, because he has the physical ability to do that. Then the guard is getting thrown to the side and the running back sees an agile hungry Banks. Not what I would want to see LOL.

Asked after the game how he thought it went, the defensive tackle said, “I feel like it went good. I feel like there’s definitely some things I need to work on.”

Banks, the No. 18 overall pick was one of the defenders chasing Devin Singletary on his 40-yard screen that helped the Giants convert a third-and-23 and set up Jaxson Dart’s touchdown pass; he said afterward he took a bad angle on the play.

“I was just trying to run to the ball and do what I’m told to do: run to the ball, try to go make a tackle,” he said. “Next time, I’m gonna take a better angle and smash his — I can’t say it, but smash him.”

Banks said in general, he needs to play with his pads at a better level to buy him leverage against blockers. He also said he went off-script on Cam Skattebo’s first-quarter run, where the Giants running back eluded Banks in the backfield and picked up 7 yards.

“Being honest, I was not supposed to do that,” he said. “I saw the splits between the offensive tackle and the guard, and I knew they weren’t coming on the double team. I was watching the offensive tackle’s eyes, too. He’s looking out at whoever the rusher was next to me, so kind of knew he wasn’t coming at me. So I just tried to hit [Giants first-round pick] Francis [Mauigoa] with a good move. I got back there; it worked, but Skattebo was faster than I thought.”

Will the Vikings’ coaches praise Banks’ ability read the situation and attempt to make a play based on the information he picked up? Or will they chide him for taking a chance rather than holding his gap?

“We'll find out [Sunday] or Monday, whenever you get a report back,” he said. “You go find out. Next week, I’ll be able to tell you.“

Just making multiple mistakes, I mean, that comes as a rookie. Still learning the game, still trying to understand the flow of the game, how fast things go, and really, your job and your technique. You kind of get happy feet: you want to go make a play, and you do the wrong stuff, and then your get double-teamed, now you get pushed to the ball. Now you’re like, ‘Dang, shouldn’t have did that.’ So you’re just like, ‘Next play, next play.’ ”

Before the game, Banks walked the sideline to calm his nerves, just as he’d done at Florida.

"I was trying to tell Dom [fellow rookie Domonique Orange], too. Dom was nervous, and I was like, ‘We both can’t be nervous.' Somebody’s got to be like, ‘Let’s go.’ So I was trying to be that guy that wasn’t acting like I was nervous, you know what I mean?”

Strib

Cricket wrote:

https://x.com/TheRealForno/status/2089556799212949965?s=20

Those size issues were something that we knew would be a work in progress, and it’s not a huge deal that he experienced them in his debut. The key isn’t going to be that he struggled, but rather how he grows over the next weeks and months.

versus Giants , Orange and Banks both got a whiff of what's in store. It's their rate of technique improvement that matters now.

Healing up from two injuries, hasn't played football in a long time and is a rookie....he's not going to be All-Pro this year. Shouldn't be a shocker.

I figured this was a draft pick for '27-29 more than '26. Between the foot rehab and the lack of on-field experience I saw '26 as mostly getting Banks healed and in football condition enough to rotate in while they keep working on his technique. Next year we hope he gets unleashed.