It has been expected for a while that junior offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. will enter the 2025 NFL Draft after the 2024 season this fall. Banks is viewed by most NFL Draft scouts and the media as a likely top five or top 10 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft next spring.
The 6-foot-4 and 320-pound multi-year starter at left tackle for the Longhorns has started over three dozen games in his collegiate career in Austin. Banks is the highest-graded pass-blocking offensive tackle in the SEC (per PFF) and leads the conference in pass-blocking efficiency (99.1).
I by no means think that Texas fans have taken Banks for granted along the offensive line at offensive tackle for the past few years, but he will surely be a player that the Longhorns’ faithful miss when they look back on his time on the 40 Acres in future years.
Banks’ journey at Texas saw him make an immediate impact for Texas’s offensive line, as a Freshman All-American starting left tackle in 2022. He was also a Second-Team All-Big 12 selection in his first year at Texas as a starting offensive tackle during the 2022 season.
In 2023, Banks was named a Second-Team All-American by the AFCA and a First-Team All-Big 12 honoree. He was a key cog in helping Texas be a top-three-ranked passing offense and a top-five-ranked rushing offense in the Big 12 last season. Banks also played a major role in getting the Longhrons’ offense to the Big 12 Championship and the College Football Playoff.
Earlier this week, Banks was named among the three finalists for the Outland Trophy, which is given to the best interior linemen in the nation in college football.
