Vikings Double-Dip in 2026 Draft
The Minnesota Vikings kicked off their 2026 draft by selecting defensive tackle Caleb Banks out of Florida. After years of filling the defensive line with free agents, the Vikings have spent the necessary draft capital to build their own homegrown group.
In the second round, the club added Cincinnati linebacker Jake Golday. Then, in Round 3, Brian Flores got his hands on a third defender, another defensive tackle. Domonique Orange, also called Big Citrus, became the latest addition.
Ironically, the Vikings hadn’t drafted an interior defender in the top three rounds since Leslie Frazier was the team’s head coach in 2013. Sharrif Floys was actually the last investment of that kind. After skipping the Mike Zimmer years and another four drafts with Kevin O’Connell, the Vikings didn’t just snap that drought, but doubled down.
The player that ranked 70th on the consensus board was available for the Vikings at 82.
Despite his huge stature, Banks is envisioned to play the defensive end role in Flores’ base 3-4 defense, the spot vacated by Jonathan Allen’s involuntary exit. Orange, meanwhile, can play the nose tackle role, fitting perfectly between Banks and Jalen Redmond.
Orange’s stats are underwhelming, which isn’t unusual for interior linemen. Sometimes, their job is just to push the pocket and eat up blockers. Neither will fill a stat sheet, but help teammates thrive.
In 50 games at Iowa State, he logged 66 tackles (7 tackles for loss) and 1 sack.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote, “Orange is a sturdy nose tackle capable of muddying the middle of the field with his first-step quickness and take-on power. His reaction time makes it hard to reach-block him in zone and he has the anchor to play landlord over the A-gaps against double-teams. He gets bounced around on contact but is excellent in recovery and winning the final phase of the rep. Orange is a non-factor as a pass rusher, but his value versus the run should attract teams.”
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said after the conclusion of the third round, “We found it really incredibly valuable to add, really, a big-bodied nose tackle. [He’s] a very, very difficult guy to move in there — taking double teams, doing some of the dirty work and played a ton of snaps.”
At 6’2″ and 322 lbs, Orange is indeed hard to move. He’s four inches shorter than Banks, but still in the same weight class. Though there’s a lot of room to grow in the passing game, he’ll certainly be a reinforcement in the running game.
O’Connell also expressed confidence in his young player’s ability to make strides as a pass-rusher.
Orange commented at his virtual presser, “I know it’s different at this level [than college], but I can be that dominant force. Be that guy that when push comes to shove, I’m making plays. I’m disrupting every play,” Orange said. “Not only being that on the field but being that guy in the locker room that’s able to push everybody to their [potential]. I’m the guy willing to come in and do whatever it takes to win.”
Newcomers Banks and Orange are joined in the defensive tackle room by last year’s pick, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, 2024 seventh-rounder Levi Drake Rodriguez, as well as starter Jalen Redmond.
For over a decade, the Vikings signed veterans (Linval Joseph, Dalvin Tomlinson, Michael Pierce, Harrison Phillips) to stop the run along the defensive line, but those days appear to be over.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.