According to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks broke his foot the night before his testing day at the combine last month. Brugler’s source claims that Banks should be able to return to the field from the injury by June.
At the moment, Banks is the second-ranked defensive tackle (23rd) in the 2026 draft class, only behind Clemson’s Peter Woods, on the consensus draft board. I’d like to add that Banks was able to still run a 5.04 40-yard dash at 6’6” and 327 pounds, which
seems just insane. If you couldn’t tell, Banks’ calling card is his athleticism.
On paper, a June return to the field shouldn’t be a big deal for a draft prospect, but we’ve seen some of these recovery timelines take much longer than their reported projections before. For example, running back Jonathon Brooks was supposed to be ready for training camp in 2024 after his ACL tear. The Carolina Panthers took him in the second round that year, and he wasn’t activated from the PUP list until November 6th. By Week 14, he tore his ACL again, leading to him missing the entire 2025 season. So far, he’s only played three career NFL games.
The point of the story here is to trust no one when it comes to injuries and prospects. Teams, rightfully, will be having their doctors run their own tests on players.
The Green Bay Packers, who need more defensive linemen, use a decent amount of their allotted 30 pre-draft visits on players with medical concerns (usually to officially rule them out), so don’t be surprised if they want an extra look at Banks closer to the draft, if it looks like he might be slipping into the second round. Teams will also get a second look at injured players in Indianapolis during the combine medical re-check, which usually happens in mid to late April.
The Packers have a reputation for being very conservative with their injury assessments of players, with the most recent notable exception being the selection of Wisconsin pass-rusher Vince Biegel in the fourth round of the 2017 draft (before then, it was probably running back Eddie Lacy and his fused foot back in 2013). I think it’s unlikely that Green Bay will be the team that catches a slipping Banks, if other teams are uncomfortable with his medical situation, but it’s a possibility that’s now on the board for the 52nd overall pick.
