Vikings 'hope' Caleb Banks will be ready for training camp and season

The Minnesota Vikings took a massive swing when they selected Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks with the 18th overall pick on Thursday night. Although the 6'6", 327-pound lineman has plenty of upside, he has spent the past eight months battling a foot injury that has required two surgeries.

However, Kevin O'Connell doesn't seem concerned about Banks' availability for the 2026 season. On Thursday, he told reporters he expects Banks to be available in training camp in preparation for the season.

"As we work toward the end of the offseason program, our hope is that we'll be able to prepare him [in training camp] for the regular season and have him for that," O'Connell said, per ESPN's Kevin Seifert.

Even that response appears to open the door to Banks missing some time during camp. On Wednesday, NFL teams received a letter regarding the progress of Banks' foot. The letter stated that Banks underwent a CT scan on Tuesday and is "on pace to be fully cleared for full football activities in early June."

Assuming all of that is true and that the Vikings' medical team agrees with the assessment, there shouldn't be any question whether Banks will be ready by the season, let alone camp. The situation will be monitored, of course.

If Banks is a full participant in camp, this will be easily forgotten. But if he misses practice, there will be questions about whether the Vikings knew what they were signing up for when they drafted Banks.

This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Vikings expect rookie DT Caleb Banks ready for training camp