Kelvin Banks Jr. 2025 NFL Draft projection: Expert prediction on Texas OL’s real potential
Offensive linemen are always a top priority in the NFL Draft, and no one needs to look any further than last April. Nine offensive linemen were selected in the first round, almost one-third of the picks in that frame.
Seven of the nine offensive linemen selected were offensive tackles. Of the nine selected in the first round, all but one presently start for their respective teams. The 2025 draft class of offensive linemen doesn’t look nearly as strong, and there could be half the number of blockers chosen in Round 1 compared to last April.
It’s a class that will be dominated by underclassmen, as is often the case, and now comes word that a top junior has committed to enter next year’s draft. The question is, where will he line up on Sundays?
Kelvin Banks Jr. among top prospects to get picked in first round of NFL Draft 2025
Several sources have informed me that Kelvin Banks Jr., the talented left tackle for the Texas Longhorns, who are presently ranked as the No. 1 team in the nation by both the AP and Coaches polls, will enter the 2025 NFL Draft.
Those sources tell me that Banks has committed to representation for next April’s draft, but he’s not expected to make his announcement official until after the season, which the Longhorns hope won’t be until the middle of January.
Banks has started every game at left tackle for the Longhorns since 2022, when he was a true freshman. Though few scouts graded Banks coming into the season, unlike the LSU pair of Will Campbell and Emery Jones, who both received first-round grades, he is a consensus first-round prospect on most draft boards outside the scouting community.
Banks is presently the No. 1 offensive lineman on my board, ahead of Campbell.
Yet will Banks line up as an offensive tackle on Sundays? NFL scouts and teams are not so sure.
Texas OL's physicality sparks resemblance to Peter Skoronski
Sources close to the Texas program tell me Banks may measure under 6-foot-4 at predraft scouting events such as the combine or pro day, the minimum height required by many teams for a tackle in the NFL.
In fact, several teams around the league are already projecting Banks to guard on Sundays. People have compared the situation to Peter Skoronski, the talented offensive tackle from Northwestern who was pushed into guard due to measurables that did not meet the league's metrics for an edge blocker.
Skoronski was red-flagged for arms that measured just 32 ¼ inches as much as his height, which was 6-foot-4 even at the 2023 combine.
This does not push Banks out of the first round or even the top 15 picks. Rather, it could mean a team selecting near the top of the draft that desperately needs a left tackle, such as the New England Patriots, could bypass Banks in favor of someone like Campbell.