DynastySignal Scouting Report

Caleb Banks — DL | Florida | 2026 NFL Draft

1. The Short Version

Caleb Banks is a rare specimen at defensive tackle — a 6'6", 325-pound wrecking ball with the athleticism to collapse the pocket from the interior and the length to make blockers' lives miserable from snap to whistle. The case for Banks is simple: his frame is generational at the position, his 2024 production (4.5 sacks, 7.0 TFL, PFF 73) proved he could be a dominant force in SEC competition, and his pass rush upside projects as a Day 1 impact player in the NFL. The case against is equally real: a 2025 season that appears to have been cut short by injury (just 6 tackles), concerns about playing too high and lacking elite lateral agility to chase mobile quarterbacks, and production numbers that, while impressive, don't quite scream the transcendent interior rusher that justifies a top-10 pick. If he's healthy and the combine goes well, he's a lock for the top half of the first round.

2. Measurables & Background

| Attribute | Value |

|-----------|-------|

| Position | DL (IDL / 3-Tech / 4i) |

| School | Florida Gators |

| Previous School | Louisville Cardinals (2021–2022) |

| Height | 6'6" |

| Weight | 325 lbs |

| Class | 2026 (transfer, multiple seasons played) |

| Draft Year | 2026 |

| Career Sacks | 5.5 |

| Career TFL | 9.5 |

| Career FF | 2 |

| Best Season PFF | 73 Overall / 73 Pass Rush / 68 Run Def (2024) |

| Notable | Would be first 1st-round DL from Florida since Taven Bryan (2018) |

Career Stats by Season:

| Season | Team | TKL | SK | TFL | FF |

|--------|------|-----|----|-----|----|

| 2021 | Louisville | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 |

| 2022 | Louisville | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1 |

| 2023 | Florida | 19 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 0 |

| 2024 | Florida | 21 | 4.5 | 7.0 | 2 |

| 2025 | Florida | 6 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0 |

| Career | | 46 | 5.5 | 9.5 | 2 |

3. Film Sources Reviewed

| Source | Frames | Key Content |

|--------|--------|-------------|

| The NFL Film Room — "Caleb Banks College Football Highlights \| Florida Defensive Tackle \| NFL Draft Film" (4:15) | 18 frames (film_001–film_018) | SEC game action vs. Ole Miss, LSU, Miami, Samford, Tennessee — pre-snap alignment, run fits, pass rush reps |

| King Cold Sports Talk — "Caleb Banks Draft Evaluation \| 2024/2025 Film Breakdown" (10:49) | 19 frames (film_2_001–film_2_019) | Detailed analytics breakdown: career stats overlay, PFF grade progression, alignment/technique close-ups vs. Clemson, LSU, Miami, Ole Miss; We-Draft.com community grades |

| NFL on CBS — "Caleb Banks 2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Florida DL Is A Dominant Force, Has Top-10 Potential" (6:58) | 18 frames (highlights_001–highlights_018) | CBS Summer Scouting DL Rankings (No. 2 overall DL), Ryan Wilson & Ran Carthon analysis, 2024 stat card, pro-day-style photo showing frame and stance |

4. What The Film Shows

Pass Rush Moves

Grade: B+ (7.0/10)

Banks' pass rush arsenal is his most NFL-ready tool but also his most inconsistent weapon. At his best, he fires off the snap and uses his length to stab and redirect blockers before they can latch on — visible in film_2_006 and film_2_011 where he shows an active hands approach working off the right shoulder of LSU offensive linemen. His initial burst generates immediate leverage displacement on single-gap rushes. However, the film also reveals too many reps where he relies on raw power and frame alone rather than executing a developed counter move when his initial get-off is stonewalled. The highlights_005 CBS photo of his three-point stance shows textbook hand positioning and pad level at alignment, but film_2_014 and film_2_015 show him getting washed upfield on long-arm resets by patient guards. He's not yet the polished technician you'd want for a top-5 pick, but the raw tools to develop a full repertoire are unquestionably there.

First Step & Motor

Grade: B+ (7.5/10)

For a man pushing 6'6" and 325 lbs, Banks shows exceptional first-step explosion off the snap. The pre-snap alignment shots in film_009 (circled, 3-tech vs LSU) and film_2_004 reveal a low, compact stance that suggests a quicker-than-expected first step. His motor was repeatedly on display in the Ole Miss and LSU games — film_003, film_004, and film_013 show him actively chasing down plays well outside his gap responsibility, which is not something you take for granted at his size. The 2024 season's 2 forced fumbles (film_2_008 stat card) speak to finishing through the play, not stopping at first contact. The concern: by late 2024 and into 2025 (just 6 tackles total), something clearly slowed him down. Motor is elite when healthy; health is the variable.

Run Defense

Grade: B (6.5/10)

Banks is a plus run stopper in concept — he has the mass and length to plug A-gaps and eat double teams — but the PFF grades tell a partial story here. His run defense PFF grade peaked at 69 in 2025, never cracking 70 in that category across his career (film_2_013 stat card). The aerial views in film_001 and film_002 (Ole Miss vs. Florida 2nd-and-2 situations) show him holding the point of attack with discipline, not getting pushed sideways, but he doesn't consistently generate negative plays against the run when facing legitimate SEC offensive lines. Film_004 (Ole Miss 4th quarter) shows a pile-up where Banks is in the mix but not disruptive. The community grade cited "Lateral Agility" as a weakness (film_2_018), and that shows up in run defense when he has to redirect laterally to cut off outside runs — he's functional but not a tone-setter in the run game the way his size suggests he should be.

Length & Power

Grade: A- (8.5/10)

This is Banks' calling card and the reason people are throwing around top-10 projections. The highlights_005 frame is worth a thousand scouting words: Banks in his pre-snap stance, with arms that appear to run 35+ inches, a wide base, and a body that looks NFL-ready right now. No college lineman is going to out-leverage a 6'6" pass rusher with that wingspan — and film_2_005 and film_2_006 show him walking back Clemson blockers with hand fighting that simply can't be replicated by shorter interior linemen. The film_2_007 frame shows him physically bending an LSU lineman's torso backwards in a bull rush sequence that's the kind of rep that gets you on NFL draft boards. His power-to-frame ratio is as good as any interior defender in this class. When he wins with his hands early in the rep, he is unblockable with pure power alone.

Versatility

Grade: B- (6.0/10)

Banks has been deployed almost exclusively as a three-technique or four-technique in Florida's scheme, which limits the versatility data set. The We-Draft.com community evaluation (film_2_017) suggested Chicago Bears as an NFL fit — a team that runs a 4-3 base — which makes sense for a player who has lived in even-front alignments. He has the length and athleticism that could theoretically allow him to slide out to a five-tech in certain sub packages, but the film doesn't show significant evidence of him rushing from a two-point stance or working stunts as the looping man. The film_017 (vs. Tennessee) and film_018 frames show him maintaining his gap in a two-high shell run situation, so his recognition is developing. At the NFL level, he's a 3-4 five-tech or a 4-3 three-tech — not a versatile sub-rusher, but extremely effective in his role.

5. Strengths Summary

6. Concerns & Risks

7. NFL Comp

Primary Comp: Daron Payne (Washington Commanders)

Payne entered the NFL in 2018 as a big-bodied, power-first interior lineman who was more disruptive than his college production suggested. Like Banks, Payne had an exceptional frame and power quotient but wasn't an elite college producer before becoming one of the more feared interior rushers in the league. Banks has even more length than Payne, which gives him a slightly higher ceiling in terms of pass rush disruption if he can develop his move repertoire. Both players also share the question of whether their lateral agility will limit them on stunts and games — it hasn't stopped Payne from being excellent.

Secondary Comp: Vita Vea (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) — earlier career arc

Vea entered the NFL as a massive, run-stuffing interior lineman whose pass rush upside was considered upside, not a given. What makes this comp apt for Banks is the trajectory: Vea's pass rush grades improved dramatically once he reached the NFL and had proper coaching and rush lane assignments. Banks at 6'6"/325 with length actually profiles as a more natural pass rusher than Vea was coming out. If the development arc follows Vea's, you're looking at a Pro Bowl-caliber player within years 3–5.

8. Bottom Line

Caleb Banks is a legitimate first-round talent — a frame-first, length-elite interior defender who represents the kind of player NFL teams only see once every few years at his size. The 2024 production was real, the SEC competition was legitimate, and the physical tools are as good as any interior prospect in this draft class. The question that will swing his draft position 10 picks in either direction is the 2025 injury: if medicals clear and combine performance confirms his athleticism, he'll go top-15 without much debate. If there's structural concern or his testing numbers disappoint, he slides into the 20–35 range where the value proposition is still excellent. For dynasty purposes, an interior defensive lineman this size and this young (with upside still being unlocked) is a generational asset — his floor is a starting 3-tech for a decade.

SCOUT SCORE

Score: 82/100

Projected Pick: R1, Pick 12-22

Film Score: 82 / 100

Scout 2 Report: Caleb Banks, DL, Florida

The Short Version

Banks is a mountain of a man who mauls in the run game, but his pass rush is bull-rush or bust—contrarian take: not the Top-10 dominator CBS hypes; he's a Day 1 3-tech with bust risk if he can't add counters.

Measurables & Background

| Measurable | Value | Notes |

|------------|-------|-------|

| Height | 6'6\" | Frame film_2_002 |

| Weight | 325 lbs | Frame film_2_001 |

| Age | 21 | Projected for 2026 draft class |

| School | Florida | Gators DT, breakout 2024: 21 TKL, 4.5 sacks, 1 PD (film_2_006-010 stats overlay) |

| Projection | 3-Tech DT | SEC competitor vs. Ole Miss, Tennessee, etc. |

Film Sources

| Source | Duration | # Analyzed Frames | Prefix |

|--------|----------|-------------------|--------|

| The NFL Film Room Highlights | 4:15 | 18 | film_ |

| NFL on CBS Scouting Report | 6:58 | 18 | highlights_ |

| King Cold Sports Talk Breakdown | 10:49 | 19 | film_2_ |

Film Analysis

Key Traits (DT Focus):

Overall Grade: A- (Explosive power fits modern 3-4, but needs pass-rush polish.)

Strengths

Concerns

Dynasty Outlook

Year 1: Rotational 3-tech on 3-4 teams (e.g., Pitt, Ravens). Year 2: Starter if scheme fits power. Year 3: Pro Bowl potential as run-stuffer, but pass-rush growth caps ceiling. Fits gap-control Ds; avoid 4-3 edge teams. Dynasty value: Mid-1.05 rookie pick, hold 3 years.

NFL Comp

Bottom Line

Banks is a plug-and-play SEC beast with top-20 traits, but hype ignores one-dimensional rush—smart teams grab him late Round 1 before combine exposes average testing.

SCOUT SCORE

Score: 88/100

Projected Pick: R1, Pick 12-20

Film Score: 88 / 100