Florida football's Caleb Banks lands in top 5 of CBS Sports' 2026 NFL mock draft
Florida football defensive lineman Caleb Banks is drawing national attention as a top NFL prospect, earning the No. 4 overall spot in CBS Sports' early 2026 NFL mock draft released by Josh Edwards.
Projected to the New York Jets, Banks is the first defensive tackle off the board in the mock–a clear sign of how much his stock has risen following an impressive 2024 season in Gainesville.
The 6-foot-6-inch, 329-pound redshirt senior emerged as one of the SEC's most disruptive interior linemen last fall, finishing with 21 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery across 10 starts.
Banks dominated down the stretch, generating seven quarterback pressures in back-to-back games against the LSU Tigers and Ole Miss Rebels, including a 3.5-tackle-for-loss, 2.5-sack explosion against the Rebels that earned him SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors.
CBS Sports praised Banks' size, power and ability to "stack and shed", noting his upside as a game-wrecking presence in the middle of an NFL defense.
If his 2025 season builds on last year's production, Banks could become Florida's first top-five defensive draft pick since Dante Fowler Jr. when the Jacksonville Jaguars selected him with the third pick in the 2015 NFL draft.
For Billy Napier's Gators, Banks' rise is further proof of the staff's success in developing transfer talent–Banks arrived in Gainesville from Louisville ahead of the 2023 season–and adds another name to the program's growing list of early-round NFL hopefuls.
Here is everything CBS Sports' Edwards wrote about Banks.
What CBS Sports said about Banks
"Banks is a taller prospect that throws his weight around. There is a stack and shed element to his game. After recording 4.5 sacks this past season, Banks will need to take his game to another level. The Jets had been linked to defensive tackles leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft, but they did not select one this year."
CBS Sports' top 5 picks in their 2026 NFL mock draft
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