2025 NFL Draft Film Study: Kelvin Banks Jr. (OT, Texas)

An All-22 look at Texas left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr.

In a 2025 draft class filled with impressive offensive line talent, Kelvin Banks Jr. stands out.

He doesn’t stand out because he’s 6’6” with length and athleticism. He’s not even the most technically polished prospect.

However, it almost seems like none of that matters when you watch the Texas left tackle. He brings such a unique skill set to the table, but feels like he hasn’t even scratched the surface of what he can become.

Banks was a 5-star recruit and high school All-American out of Humble, Texas. He stayed in his home state to play for the Longhorns, and was immediately tasked with starting at left tackle as a true freshman.

Now, two seasons into his college career, Banks is a two-time All-Big 12 selection. In 1,006 pass-blocking snaps over that span, he’s allowed just three sacks and 24 pressures.

Listed at 6’4” and 324 pounds, Banks doesn’t have the prototypical frame of a traditional left tackle. However, the way he plays makes him such a key part of the Longhorns offense.

Not surprisingly, pass rushers have a very hard time converting speed to power against Banks. He uses his thick frame along with a wide base and natural play strength to prevent himself from being bull rushed.

One of the biggest reasons that Banks is so successful at his size is that he’s still so light on his feet. He has very good movement skills, especially given his frame, which allow him to mix up his pass sets and stay in front of all kinds of pass rushers.

Those quick feet combined with his instincts allow Banks to quickly pick up twists and stunts with regularity. There are multiple instances where you can see Banks snap his head inside the second a defender tries to start looping around.

That’s not an issue for Banks, who consistently picks up the stunting defender.

Even for a bigger tackle, Banks flashes really good lateral agility. He is able to quickly redirect and handle inside rush moves.

One of my favorite examples of Banks’ lateral agility was a play against Baylor. With an unaccounted for rusher getting into the B gap, Banks quickly changed course and carried his initial defender into the gap, blocking two rushers with one move and allowing Quinn Ewers to escape the pocket.

This isn’t all to say that Banks is a flawless prospect in pass protection. His hand placement is far too erratic, and he is caught lunging too often, forcing him off balance.

However, when Banks flashes good hand placement, strike timing, and the ability to reset his hands to counter pass rush moves, he takes his game to another level.

The run game is where Banks can really shine. While his play style isn’t impressive from a technical standpoint, his natural play strength and ability to launch his hips into contact can allow him to generate plenty of push in the trenches.

Even when everything else isn’t there, Banks can move defensive linemen into the second level by exploding through his hips and driving his legs to reset the line of scrimmage.

The hand usage for Banks still requires a lot of work. Too often is he trying to strike on the outside of a defender’s frame. This allows the defender to attack Banks’ chest and control the point of attack.

While his play strength and broad frame hides some of these struggles, it will become a bigger problem against longer, more explosive EDGE players at the NFL level.

Easily Banks’ biggest issue right now is balance. Whether it’s in pass pro or in the run game, the Texas left tackle can become too reliant on lunging or leaning on defenders instead of focusing on engaging with them.

Banks is too often not playing within control and under his feet, leading to him falling over way too often on Saturdays.

What makes Banks the OT1 in this draft class is that he’s still such a capable offensive lineman without the polish that a lot of other prospects already possess. Almost all of his deficiencies are fixable issues, giving him a sky-high ceiling for NFL scouts confident in their abilities to develop him into a starting left tackle.

Banks still has the opportunity to solidify his OT1 status by showing some improvement in certain areas. If he can do that, there’s a real chance that he’s one of the first players taken in the 2025 NFL Draft.