A Texas left tackle who swept college football's top blocking awards, Banks became a top-10 pick and an instant full-time starter as a pro.
Kelvin Banks Jr. arrived at Texas as a five-star recruit and left as one of the most decorated offensive linemen in the country, winning the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award before the Saints made him the ninth overall pick in 2025. He didn't miss a beat as a rookie, starting every game at left tackle for New Orleans.
Path to the league
Banks committed to Texas as a five-star recruit out of Summer Creek High School in Houston after decommitting from Oregon following a coaching change. He started at left tackle from the moment he arrived on campus in 2022, earning First-team All-Big 12 honors in 2023 before a monster senior year in 2024 that included First-team All-SEC recognition, the Jacobs Blocking Trophy, the Lombardi Award, the Outland Trophy and unanimous All-American honors. The New Orleans Saints made him the ninth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, signing him to a four-year contract fully guaranteed at $27.73 million.
Career highlights
Banks' 2024 season at Texas stands among the best by a college tackle in recent memory, sweeping the sport's top individual line-blocking honors in the same year he helped lead the Longhorns deep into the College Football Playoff.
2025 season recap
Banks started all 17 games at left tackle as a rookie, becoming just the third Saints left tackle since 1978 to start every game at the position in a season. He allowed only five sacks and three accepted penalties across 681 snaps, ranked second among rookie offensive linemen in run-blocking grade by Pro Football Focus, and earned a spot on the 2025 PFWA All-Rookie Team.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Kelvin Banks Jr.
- NewOrleansSaints.com: 5 Things to Know about Kelvin Banks Jr.
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Offensive Tackle
- Group
- offense
- College
- Texas
- Hometown
- Humble, TX, USA
- Age
- 22
- Status
- active
