***2026 Minnesota Vikings***
- Thread starter Marcelason78
- Start date
This pick is high risk, but certainly could be high reward. This is type of player traits that most teams don’t have and if Banks is healthy he could be dominant
They panicked. All the mocks had them drafting Kenyon Sadiq. When he got picked early they pivoted to need rather than best available. Stupid.
KidSilverhair
Well-Known Member
Yahoo Sports (take that for what it’s worth) actually graded this pick as an A-.
Grades are all over the place. CBS Sports had this pick as a D...the worst grade/pick of the night so far.
Most of the mocks had Thieneman. Turns out #18 would have been high for him too. But a safer pick than Banks.
Will be interesting to hear if they had offers to trade down.
Depth of the draft wasn't at the top, but in Rd 2-3. If they happen to trade Grennard for another pick in that area, they might be be able to get some contributors and then the high risk/high reward could be defendable. There were some other big reaches in the first round so there is no guarantee he would have fallen for.
I don't buy that it was a panic pick. There would have been several other DTs that could have been the panic pick instead. I am guessing it was the plan the entire time. Hoping it was a good plan, but I have my doubts.
I don't buy that it was a panic pick. There would have been several other DTs that could have been the panic pick instead. I am guessing it was the plan the entire time. Hoping it was a good plan, but I have my doubts.
It wasn't a panic pick, they were targeting him all along. If you listened to the Powertrip this morning Paul Allen dropped hints about medical reasons players could fall and trying to hit a home run by trusting your medical staff. He said that he would drop the name during their draft party show before the Vikings pick. He did just that. He threw out Caleb Banks' name around pick 14 or 15.
From what I've gathered watching various videos of draft "experts" since the pick, there wasn't a for sure stud DT in this draft. They all had some questions. Banks is an athletic freak who dominates when he's healthy. Like could be All-pro. If not for the foot injury history, he would've been a for sure stud top 10 pick (some even said top 5). But the foot injury is a big deal. Obviously the Vikings were comfortable enough with the situation to take him.
Who knows what will happen? I'm not excited because of the injury history.
What's funny is guys like Pete Schrager balking at the pick because he didn't have him in the first round and hadn't heard any talk from teams about Banks even having potential to go in the first round. Does he really think if teams want to try and sneakily grab a player who could be a stud but is known to most likely slide because of the injury concerns, that they're going to tell anyone (especially him) about it? They're most likely going to blow smoke and say he isn't a first round pick. That's what the pre-draft period is, smoke blowing season.
From what I've gathered watching various videos of draft "experts" since the pick, there wasn't a for sure stud DT in this draft. They all had some questions. Banks is an athletic freak who dominates when he's healthy. Like could be All-pro. If not for the foot injury history, he would've been a for sure stud top 10 pick (some even said top 5). But the foot injury is a big deal. Obviously the Vikings were comfortable enough with the situation to take him.
Who knows what will happen? I'm not excited because of the injury history.
What's funny is guys like Pete Schrager balking at the pick because he didn't have him in the first round and hadn't heard any talk from teams about Banks even having potential to go in the first round. Does he really think if teams want to try and sneakily grab a player who could be a stud but is known to most likely slide because of the injury concerns, that they're going to tell anyone (especially him) about it? They're most likely going to blow smoke and say he isn't a first round pick. That's what the pre-draft period is, smoke blowing season.
It’s a gamble. If Banks can stay healthy he’s going to be a stud upfront.
demoncore1031
Well-Known Member
Don't hate the upside, but injury risk and probably could have traded down and still got the pick....that being said its always funny how draft grades are so non representative of draft grades after a couple years.
Wonder if Mcneil-Warren falls far enough for the Vikings to go get him tonight? Most of the teams at the top of the draft board have bigger issues than safety so could see him sliding a ways, unless one of those teams just think he's too good to pass on.
That's Simpson in my book. But since that was the Rams and everything always works out for them, I'm sure he'll be fine.
KidSilverhair
Well-Known Member
Good thing the Vikings have a fantastic history of rehabbing injury prone players.
This could be a pick where we look back in 10 years at the draft grades and laugh with Banks being a multi-time all Pro and game wrecker (he has the talent), I just think it was a major reach with his injury issues and inconsistency when he did play.
The Vikings are one of the most injury cursed franchises in the league. This dude will play like 10 snaps in his whole ******* career. Guarantee it.
I didn't see it but it sounds like during the presser last night to talk about the pick, McVay looked pissed and Les Snead was all smiles.
Apparently Snead and Simpson's dad are good friends. People were speculating that's why Simpson showed up to the draft because Snead had promised to take him.
With so many holes, and a roster that is deplete of depth and talent because of poor drafting the last 5 years, I just don't think drafting a big guy with a history of foot problems is a smart move. They needed to draft a less risky pick to make sure that player can be on the field. Most other experts had him as the 50-60 rated prospect in the draft. You don't take him at 18. Draft Thieneman and let him be the next Hitman.
