Todd McShay raves over Caleb Banks as 2026 NFL Draft prospect

Florida defensive lineman Caleb Banks hasn’t produced a ton of stats so far throughout his college career, including his past two seasons with the Gators. Still, with what he has shown on tape, Todd McShay thinks Banks could reach the point of being a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

McShay previewed some of the top defenders in next year’s draft last week in an episode of The McShay Show, and included Banks on his sky-high potential alone at the next level.

“He’s a fifth-year player. Spent first two seasons at Louisville, didn’t do a whole lot before transferring to Florida …19 tackles, 1.5 for loss, one sack as a rotational player for Florida in 2023. But, in 2024, he kind of broke out, and that’s the tape that I studied,” McShay said of Banks. “That doesn’t sound like massive production but he played a lot more snaps and he ended up with 21 tackles, seven for loss, and 4.5 sacks, also two forced fumbles.

“6-foot-6, 320 pounds. Estimated 5.2 (second 40-yard dash), which is about, you know, solid. Judging by the way he runs, I would guess he’s close to like 5.0, 4.9-something. …You don’t write body beautiful many times in your scouting report when you’re talking about a 320-pounder. He is body beautiful,” McShay continued. “He runs well. Impressive athleticism for his size. I was impressed by…it’s not that same twitch and sudden. But you have to train your brain that I’m looking at 320, I’m looking at 6-6, 320. So, his takeoff, man. Like, whether he’s flashing in front of a guard on a slant or getting up, you know, penetrating up the field. Pretty damn impressive. He’s got snap in his hands too and he’s got some upper body, like, pop. And I also like his flexibility. I thought he was pretty flexible. So you start stacking these traits on top of one another.”

However, McShay did note one area of improvement for Banks in being better able to handle double teams. That con in his game in two-on-ones surprised him, though, considering how he excels for the most part in one-on-ones.

“He’s not a space eater. So, you look at his frame and you’re like, are we looking at like, a zero technique. He’s just not,” McShay said. “I don’t mind his effort. Like, I think he plays hard. He’s not the type of guys who’s going to turn his back to it and give that lazy rep against double teams. But, consistently, he loses versus double teams. So that’s an area I want to see him improve. But, the funny part is I think he’s also kind of got some country strong to him. He dominates one-on-ones. It’s kind of a weird thing to watch because he just, he can’t, whether he’s too high maybe, and I don’t see him rising like some other guys, but he can’t quite take on that double team and just occupy.”

That said, the biggest difference maker for Banks this Fall is whether or not he can show even more of an ability to get through a block to McShay. If he can put it all together with his technique, it could be what separates him from being a fine draft pick to one who could hear his name called on night one come April.

“One of the most important things I learned in scouting defensive linemen, whether it’s an edge or an interior guy, you’re not gonna win with pure speed very often in the league if you don’t have the combination of the power to put fear in offensive linemen. … It was like this epiphany of, wait, you’re not just going to win with speed. These guys are too good at the next level,” McShay added. “How do you work? Because they’re always going to reach you at some point. How do you work from that point? And so, when I watched him — and, yes, I saw that there’s only 4.5 sacks last year, and I watched on tape and he’s got to get home a little bit more. I think there are times where I’m watching him and he left a couple sacks on the field. He doesn’t necessarily quite know like some counters and different things. But his effort is great and he engages and he gets that guy jacked back, jacked back upright.

“Then there’s that moment of truth when the offensive lineman resyncs his hips and gets inside, can he work with that torso flexibility and kind of have that country strong, that core strength to work through that edge? The really good pass rushers work half a man. If I’m trying to beat, I’m not taking his whole body on. I’m working his right side or his left side. … It’s all about when you get that moment of truth where we now are engaged because it was inevitable,” McShay continued. “Can I kind of grind my way around that right or left side of you as a massive human being? The great ones do. The good ones do sometimes. The guys that fail and become draft busts are the ones that just never learn, because they were so fast and they were so athletic and they were so talented and they were able to kind of jack a guy up, but then didn’t have any counters, didn’t have that torso flexibility.”

Again, a lot still has to come together for Banks to be at that point come next spring, whether with more development or improved production this fall in Gainesville. But, if it does happen, McShay, who admitted he has a better evaluation of him than most right now based on attributes alone, absolutely sees a first-rounder in him.

“I gave him a high grade. I gave him a 91, 92,” McShay said. “I believe in this guy. This guy’s got a lot of the traits and that’s why I gave him a high grade. And I recognize I’m probably higher than a lot of people on it – and I’m not saying that’s where he’s going to wind up, definitively going in the first round or definitively going in the Top-20,” McShay concluded. “But I’m saying, if he makes that next step and continues to develop? I think he’s got a shot, man.”