Minnesota Vikings take defensive lineman Caleb Banks in 1st round of 2026 NFL draft

The Minnesota Vikings selected defensive lineman Caleb Banks in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft at pick No. 18.

The 6-foot-6, 327-pound Banks cracked the fourth metatarsal bone in his left foot in February while practicing for the 40-yard dash the night before the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. He had surgery on it last month, his second procedure in six months. Injuries to his left foot caused him to miss games in both 2023 and 2025 for the Gators.

"We have the best doctors in the country, if not the world, and we have complete confidence in them," Vikings interim general manager Rob Brzezinski said. "There's nothing without risk in any player you select, but we feel really good about where Caleb will be when it's time to go to training camp. So we're comfortable with the injury."

The Vikings signed veteran defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave in free agency last year but cut them both for salary cap savings last month. Neither Allen nor Hargrave generated much of a pass rush in defensive coordinator Brian Flores' system. If Banks is healthy, he could form a sturdy tandem for the future with budding standout Jalen Redmond.

"It's really been some time since we really invested an early pick in the interior of the defensive line," coach Kevin O'Connell said. "We would've loved to have had a full inventory of tape from the 2025 season, but the 2024 tape looked really good."

After finishing 9-8 amid persistent quarterback problems with both health and performance, the Vikings missed the playoffs and fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.

Longtime salary cap executive Rob Brzezinski has taken over the role on an interim basis, in charge of fostering consensus between the coaching staff and the scouting department in the preparation for and direction of the draft. Brzezinski spoke several times this spring of the importance of not prioritizing a pick for present need over long-term value, making clear the Vikings in this transition would be content to let the talent fall to them and focus on restocking their depth with four top-100 picks.

The Vikings will take three picks into the second night of the draft on Friday, 49th overall in the second round and 82nd and 97th overall in the third round.