What’s Caleb Banks’ Injury Status?
With the 18th overall pick, the Minnesota Vikings selected defensive tackle Caleb Banks. The Florida product comes with all-world size at 6’6″, 327 lbs, and intriguing quickness given that size.
However, the downside is an injury history that could’ve easily scared off some teams. Banks suffered a broken foot ahead of the 2025 season and again during the scouting combine and underwent surgery in March. That injury concern dominates the conversation, so what do we know about it?
A day before the draft, ESPN’s Pete Thamel wrote, “NFL teams received a letter Wednesday about the progress of former Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks as he recovers from a surgically repaired bone in his left foot. The letter states that Banks underwent a CT scan Tuesday and is ‘on pace to be fully cleared for full football activities in early June,’ sources told ESPN.”
If he’s fully back in a couple of months, the Vikings would certainly be happy with that outcome. Training camp doesn’t start until July. In 2021, the franchise selected tackle Christian Darrisaw, who was also rehabbing an injury at the time.
Thamel added, “The letter and timeline come after Dr. Norman Waldrop, a foot and ankle specialist with the Andrews Clinic, looked at Banks’ scan. Banks had surgery March 9 on a fractured fourth metatarsal of his left foot.”
His first foot injury limited Banks to only three games in 2025. Despite the disappointing season for the Florida Gators, Banks returned for the final two contests of the campaign. The second one cost him some explosiveness at the combine. A day after suffering the injury, he ran a 5.03 40-yard dash. That’s impressive for any 327-pounder, but doing it on a broken foot is even more special.
The production and the tape were fairly limited in 2025, but his 2024 film showed the flashes that made him an intriguing target for the Vikings. In an underwhelming draft class, the organization found a potential game-changer with the 18th overall pick. The trade-off is the injury concern.
After making the pick, the decision-makers were asked about the injury problems.
Vikings acting GM Rob Brzezinski said after the first round of the draft, “We have the best doctors in the country, if not the world. We have complete confidence in them. There’s nothing without risk in any player you select, but we feel very good about where Caleb will be when it’s time to go to training camp. So we’re comfortable with the injury.”
The Vikings have made injury bets in the past. Some pay off, others don’t.
Kevin O’Connell commented, “Medically, we feel strongly about where Caleb’s not only at right now after getting that thing totally fixed up, and having the type of medical team here, orthopedic surgeon-wise, we have some of the best in the world. Lotta people around the league come to some of our folks, specifically in regards to foot and ankle stuff. We spent a lot of time making sure we all felt really good about it.”
Banks has the tools to be a monster in the middle of Minnesota’s defensive line. The risk is there, but the Vikings felt comfortable enough to pull the trigger and spend the 18th overall pick to get their hands on him.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.