Is Caleb Banks The Next Sharrif Floyd?

With their first pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings selected University of Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks with pick 18. As noted by multiple media outlets, Banks was the ultimate high-risk, high-reward prospect in this year’s class.

Many experts ranked Caleb Banks among the top 10 prospects based on talent, measurables, etc., but his health history had many worried. He suffered a significant foot injury this past season at Florida that kept him out for most of 2025, and then another one during the NFL combine. Before this second injury, Banks was killing the draft process at the combine and Senior Bowl.

With all of this in mind, the Vikings felt comfortable taking a chance on the promising game-wrecker early in this year’s event. The crazy part is that this isn’t the first time the Vikings have risked a high draft pick on a Gator defensive tackle with a concerning injury history. They did the same thing back in 2013 when they selected Sharrif Floyd in the first round at pick 23. Ironically, it was the last time the team drafted a defensive tackle in the first three rounds.

The similarities between Banks and Floyd don’t stop there, either. If anyone should know, it’s interim general manager Rob Brzezinski. He was there in 2013, too!

Aside from injury concerns throughout their careers and being Florida alums, Banks and Floyd share similarities in their scouting reports. Draft experts highlighted both players as having elite quickness on the interior, which, ideally, would translate at the next level to help them get by the interior offensive line. Because of that strength, Floyd was projected as a possible 3-4 scheme defensive end, which Banks appears to be for next year’s team when he is fully medically cleared.

Banks and Floyd also have upper-body technique when engaging blockers. Both were noted as having “heavy hands” to stun blockers, which is a great trait to have, especially against the run game. That was an area of weakness the Vikings identified going into the draft, and they took Banks and Domonique Orange early in this year’s class.

To pair with those violent hand movements, they are noted as having long arms in their draft profiles, which again helps them close around ball carriers in the backfield.

Finally, Banks and Floyd’s unique athleticism at the defensive tackle position is hard to ignore when comparing the two. According to NFL.com, Banks and Floyd have similar Athleticism Scores, ranking 80 and 82, respectively. When you dive into the metrics and combine results, the scores are eerily similar.

Whether he means to or not, Brzezinski has a type when drafting defensive tackles. When projecting how Banks will perform at the next level, the Vikings have a great example in Floyd.

Floyd’s career in Minnesota left many unanswered questions about his potential due to his consistent injury woes. Floyd occasionally looked like a great fit in Mike Zimmer’s defense and paired well with players like Linval Joseph on the line. In 2014, Floyd looked like the real deal on a great defense, accumulating 4.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss. Unfortunately, though, he had retired due to injuries in 2017.

One more weird coincidence is that Banks just picked his rookie-year jersey number, and he chose 95, the same number Floyd wore as a rookie. With all of this being said, Vikings fans should be excited about Caleb Banks coming to the land of 10,000 lakes. He fits what Minnesota desperately needs. After the team moved on from Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave this offseason, the interior defensive line was a top priority.

But, as the old saying goes, “Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Let’s hope the Vikings don’t learn that lesson anytime soon.