NFL Draft
12/11/24
6 min read
Kelvin Banks Jr. 2025 NFL Draft: Scouting Report For Texas Longhorns OT
Height: 6040 (unofficial)
Weight: 320 lbs (unofficial)
Year: Junior
Pro Comparison: Austin Jackson
Scouting Overview
Texas Longhorns offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. projects as a starting left tackle at the NFL level. Banks Jr. possesses the dynamic movement skills and the frame to play tackle, provided he continues to refine his hands and showcase better sustainability on his blocks.
His athleticism is evident out of his stance and out in space, affording him a large range as a blocker. Banks Jr.’s feet are crisp and disciplined in his pass sets, building a strong foundation for his game. However, his ability to maximize his hands leaves him too often falling off of blocks or overextending to lean and apply more strain — compromising his base and vulnerable vs. savvy defenders who know how to manipulate balance.
2025 NFL Combine Results
TBD
Positives
- Will create consistent initial point-of-attack movement thanks to dynamic athleticism
- Possesses desired agility out of his stance to be well positioned against all kinds of angles in pass protection
- Shows patience and trust in space to connect on blocks out by the numbers or up on the second level
Negatives
- Habitual leaner in pass protection who is prone to overextending when latching grip
- Grip strength and sustained fit with hands is erratic, leading to blocks breaking down in close quarters
- Plays with a sufficient gravitational pull, but longer-armed defenders have tested him
Background
Banks Jr. is from Humble, TX, and played high school football at Summer Creek HS. There, Banks Jr. was named All-District four times and rolled in honors for his play. He was named a high school All-American, selected to play in the 2022 Under Armour All-America Game, and ranked as a 5-star recruit by 247 Sports.
He had offers to essentially every major program and initially committed to Oregon to play for Coach Mario Cristobal before Cristobal left to take the Miami job. Banks Jr. would go on to de-commit from Oregon and enroll at the University of Texas as a member of the recruiting class of 2022.
Banks Jr. joined the Longhorns program in July and was named the team’s starting left tackle at the start of his true freshman season. He’s been a cornerstone player on the line for the Longhorns ever since, starting every game across his first three seasons until the 2024 SEC Championship Game against Georgia.
He’d started 37 career contests before missing his first start — all before he turned 21. Collegiate honors for Banks Jr. include Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year as a freshman, Second Team All-Big 12 as a freshman, First Team All-Big 12 as a sophomore, and Second Team All-American in 2023.
Tale Of The Tape
Banks Jr. has all of the tools necessary to be a quality starter at left tackle at the NFL level. The movement skills clearly pop off the screen in the way that Banks Jr. can beat slashing defenders to the spot or drive out of the blocks and attack defenders aggressively. The key to Banks Jr.’s game will, in many ways, be balance.
How Banks Jr. improves his blocking posture with his hands latched will improve his literal balance and allow him to maintain his fit on defenders for more extended periods of time. How often he is allowed to attack and emulate run-blocking reps to keep opposing pass rushers off balance can weigh heavily in how graceful his pro transition is and keep him on schedule as an early player.
There are a lot of likable elements to his game. As a run blocker, Banks Jr. shows the pop out of his stance and the foot speed to collect movement and reset the point of attack. This goes for his vertical releases on double teams and solo blocks or when working zone tracks that require stretch laterally.
Banks Jr. creates ample push on down blocks with angles to create wash and soft edges for his backs and pullers/split flow add-ons to the point. When he’s charged with climbing and blocking in space, Banks Jr. shows good foot speed and patience to align himself with flow overtop to the football and possesses the second gear necessary to close ground and get onto the toes of a linebacker.
Banks Jr. can be guilty of lunging when his eyes get too big or ambitious, but trusting his own range and the back’s ability to cut off his leverage will help mitigate the lost reps where he’s unattached in space.
As a pass protector, Banks Jr.’s athleticism shines as he drives for depth in his pass sets. He is comfortable expanding vs. wide angles or driving for depth against speed rushers up the field. It isn’t often that he loses a race to the peak of the arc, and he possesses the foot quickness, wide hips, and dynamic lower half to ensure he can temper his pace and cadence accordingly.
However, some first strike and contact irregularities will require refinement to protect him from occasionally coming up empty and having to flip and convert to recovery mode. Banks Jr. carries his hands low, and his outside hand placement can sometimes land with wide variance. These strikes allow precise rushers to work into his chest and attempt to bull or long-arm him.
Banks Jr. will too often latch and lean, seemingly trying to create more width once engaged instead of simply sitting down on his hips and trusting his lower body power to engage and do the work. Some further lower-body strength development could be required for him to fully engage and trust his posterior chain on these latch and squad reps.
Banks has also been flagged a dozen times in the last two seasons, illustrating the need for more discipline. Given his lapses with balance and attempts to sustain blocks with what is at times inconsistent grip strength, keeping his feet active to stay mirrored on the frame of a defender and not allowing for any chest separation will be an important area of focus while locked up with a defender.
Ideal Scheme Fit, Role
Banks Jr. is not a finished product, but his athleticism and frame are likely going to warrant opportunities to play early.
This is an impressive player with movement skills to become an impactful starter, although he would benefit early in his development from a scheme that invokes a number of the same elements as the one he plays with at Texas — a high volume of play-action reps and screens. These keep Banks Jr. aggressive in playing forward into blocks and leaning more heavily on his more appealing traits.
Grade: 82.00/100.00, Late First/Early Second Round Value
Big Board Rank: TBD
Position Rank: TBD
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