Last year, we had a couple of smaller tackle prospects who became top 20 picks in Taliese Fuaga and Troy Fautanu, and this year, Texas' Kelvin Banks Jr. is receiving just as much praise, if not more, going into the 2025 NFL Draft. A top three tackle prospect and top 30 overall in his recruiting class, the folks down in Austin were lucky that he wanted to come back home after de-committing from Oregon. In three seasons at left tackle sporting the burnt orange, Banks made three All-Conference teams and is still putting the finishing touches on a monster 2024 in which he's already won the Outland and Lombardi trophies, in addition to being named a Unanimous All-American.
People will ultimately have reservations about a 6'4 tackle with some wingspan concerns going inside the top 10 in the NFL Draft. Still, Banks' resume is as legit as it gets, and he's got a boatload of high-leverage snaps to his name in 35-plus career starts and counting. Texas' switching over to the SEC and having a road tilt against Michigan and their highly touted defensive front only gave him more of that. Did he make the most of his opportunities, and could Banks be the first tackle off the board? Let's find out more about him.
Player Bio
Name: Kelvin Banks Jr.
Jersey: No. 78
Position: Offensive Tackle (Left)
School: Texas
Class: Junior
Height: 6'4
Weight: 320 lbs
Games Watched: vs. Alabama and Kansas (2023), vs. Michigan, Georgia, and Oklahoma (2024)
Player Breakdown
Pass Blocking (14.5/15)
Across 2024, but even as far back as a full year prior, the nation might not have had a better blindside blocker than Banks. His handwork, both from a power and technical standpoint (strictly as a pass protector), might be his best individual trait coming into the NFL. Additionally, I loved his ability to pass off/handle twists/stunts, and the raw power he has in his hands is an incredible asset to have. I thought Georgia's Mykell Williams gave him fits, but he didn't lose a lot outside of that. vs. Oklahoma was probably his best all-around game, but his handful of best snaps came against Michigan with their talent on the defensive front, including Mason Graham, who he dominated in the pass-and-run game (for my money).
I love the second clip here. Banks baits in his man, flashing his outside hand to reel him in, and he wins the rep the microsecond he engages because he got the exact pass-rush look he was looking for—outstanding rep among an excellent catalog here.
There's some other stuff we'll get into later that would raise some concerns, but Banks has an incredible pass rush base coming into the league.
Run Blocking (12.75/15)
Banks' hand usage wizardry oddly doesn't show up consistently enough in the run game on tape. Specifically, his ability to stay latched onto guys was very inconsistent, which is one of the biggest knocks on him if you read up on him. I also felt like there were reps where he would get ahead of his skis out in space, which got him into occasional trouble. That said, he's run scheme versatile, can make things happen at the second level, and has the chance to do stuff like this to defensive backs out in space (screen pass example, but you get the picture).
When he puts it all together off the line of scrimmage, he can also do stuff like this. It's all about consistency here.
Length (12.75/15)
In a similar size bracket as guys like Fautanu and Fuaga from a year ago, I think Banks got better usage out of his length as a pass protector than the former, and at a glance, he'll end up with a larger wingspan than Will Campbell in this year's class. However, one of the reasons the aforementioned Mykell Williams was ultimately able to get the best of him was that he had a natural wingspan advantage, so assuming Banks is going to end up with "average" wingspan numbers, he's going to have to find a way to compensate against these lengthier edge rushers at the next level, likely with raw power and refined technique.
Footwork (8.75/10)
I felt like Banks consistently showed off the ability to move around laterally to defend stunts/games at a high level, but his tendency to overset in pass pro got him into some uncomfortable situations against some lengthier defenders. He's extremely light on his feet, but not enough to make major recoveries working back to his inside, nor against some spin moves, something Kansas torched him with every time they ran one on him. I didn't want that to ruin Banks' score too much here because he objectively has great burst and movement skills, but he's gotta be more careful to hit his marks. He'll only be able to make up so much ground laterally if he finds himself in trouble.
Mechanics (7.5/10)
Given his hand-fighting ability, the dreaded "raw" term might not be suitable here, but Banks isn't exactly a complete technical machine. He has tendencies to overset in pass sets and have core balance issues creep in against some lengthier pass rushers (Mykell Williams); he lunged into some blocks, which put him on the ground a bit too much for my liking, and hand placement to stay attached as a run blocker longer all lacked enough that it was noticeable. Of course, all of this is fixable, but professional pass rushers will exploit Banks' lack of technical refinement quickly if he doesn't shore things up. What saves him here is his ability to burst out of his set and his hand usage in pass pro, which is more than enough to feel good about going into year one.
Athleticism (10/10)
Banks' athletic profile is as good as it gets for a tackle prospect. He moves very well in all directions with great acceleration, allowing him to hit marks out and space and even work as a pull blocker. It's a broken record, but his power in his hands is incredible. Sneaky, this might be the biggest reason you can live with some of the general concerns with Banks; it's hard to get athletes this good at the tackle spot, much less blue chip tackles.
Versatility (9.75/10)
Banks could end up anywhere but center at the next level, but his best option would be at either spot on the left side, with tackle as the preferable option. He has the football IQ and ability to fit either a zone or gap scheme right away, but after watching him, I'd lean toward a zone running scheme. I was very impressed with the bulk of his work on zone, counters, and duo concepts as a run blocker.
Anchor (9.5/10)
The Kansas game and a handful of snaps vs. Georgia were rough, but far more often than not, Banks' combination of hand power, hand placement (which improved a ton over the last year), and athleticism ensured that the majority of defenders in front of him weren't going anywhere other than where he wanted. Keeping core balance consistently and eliminating some of these lunge blocks is another step in the right direction, but I'm underselling here. You saw some great anchor work already with those Michigan snaps, but here's another quick example vs. Washington in last year's Sugar Bowl.
Control (4.5/5)
We've touched on this a bit already, but Banks can stay latched on to pass rushers exceptionally well, thanks to the powers in his mitts. Patience is another positive trait of his, and although it wasn't a ton, you did see him finish guys in the run game, which should become more of a regular occurrence once he gets dialed in.
Player Summary
I would imagine there are those even higher on Banks than myself, but even then, there's a lot to like here, from his starting experience, upside, and just about everything in between. This isn't an outright comp here but given how his size profile compares to his, if he ends up being in the same ballpark as Christian Darrisaw, that's a tremendous outcome. The Vikings star left tackle didn't measure up too great in the wingspan and arm length departments (as well as having eighth-percentile hands), and I'd like to think just about any Vikings fan would tell you he's turned out just fine.
Could I see a team drafting Banks with the intention of playing him at guard? Of course. You'll always have those conversations about guys like Banks, but I think he's got the ability to be an instant impact starter at left tackle and eventually develop into a franchise-caliber player. Could also very well be one of two Texas tackles to go round one, but that's a story for another day. Look for Banks to go from almost anywhere from right off the bat to about pick 15-ish if his stock holds up into the spring.
Rookie Projection: Day One Starter
Third-Year Projection: Franchise/All-Pro Offensive Lineman
Final Grade (90/100): Top 10 Talent
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