If you spent any time watching the New Orleans Saints during the 2025 season, you saw it. It wasn't just the fact that they finally had a left tackle who didn't look like he was on roller skates. It was the way Kelvin Banks Jr. played.
He didn't play like a rookie. Honestly, he played like a guy who’d been starting in the league for five years and was already bored with standard speed rushes.
When the Saints grabbed him at 9th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, everyone said it was a "safe" pick. Safe is usually code for boring. But if you've actually dug into Kelvin Banks Jr. highlights, you know there’s nothing boring about a 315-pound human moving with the grace of a shooting guard. He basically walked into a locker room that was reeling from salary cap hell and age-related decline and said, "I've got the blindside."
And he did.
What the Tape Actually Shows
People love to talk about "reach" and "hand placement." Sure, Banks has that. But the real highlights are the ones where he’s out in space on a screen pass. There’s this one play against the Falcons—you probably saw the clip circulating on Twitter—where he gets to the second level and just erases a linebacker. It wasn't a block; it was an eviction.
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Most tackles his size are "waist-benders." They lean forward, lose their balance, and get beat by a simple swim move. Banks? He’s got these "heavy hands" that scouts obsess over. When he punches, the defender’s momentum just... stops. It’s like watching someone try to run through a brick wall that can also move sideways at 15 miles per hour.
At Texas, he was a brick wall for three straight years. He started 42 games. Every. Single. One. He didn't miss time. He didn't have "down" weeks. By the time he left Austin, he’d picked up the Outland Trophy and the Lombardi Award. You don't win those by accident. He allowed only four sacks in nearly 1,500 pass-blocking snaps during his college career. Read that again. Four sacks in three years of elite college ball.
The Rookie Year Reality Check
Now, look, 2025 wasn't perfect. Nobody’s rookie year is. PFF gave him a 73.3 overall grade, which is solid, but it’s not "All-Pro" yet. He struggled a bit with some of the more seasoned power rushers who knew how to exploit his height. Being 6'5" is great until a 6'2" defensive end gets under your pads and drives you back into the quarterback’s lap.
He gave up 5 sacks this past season. Some fans grumbled. But you have to look at the context. The Saints' offensive line was a revolving door of injuries and "who is that guy?" signings. Banks was the only constant. He played over 1,000 snaps at left tackle. That’s a massive workload for a kid who just turned 21.
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Why the Highlights Look Different Now
When we talk about Kelvin Banks Jr. highlights from his time with the Longhorns, we're looking at a guy dominating 19-year-olds. In the NFL, he’s going up against guys like Brian Burns and Will Anderson Jr.
The coolest thing about his 2025 tape is how he adjusted. Early in the season, he was a bit too aggressive with his hands. He got flagged 11 times. That’s a lot. But by December? The penalties vanished. He started trusting his feet more.
His "kickslide"—that weird sideways hop tackles do to get into position—is basically textbook. It’s smooth. There’s no wasted motion. If you watch a highlight reel of his December games, you’ll see a guy who stopped "chasing" defenders and started letting them come to him. It's a mental shift that usually takes years. He did it in three months.
Breaking Down the Skill Set
- Recovery Speed: This is the big one. Even when he gets beat initially, he has the hip fluidity to swivel and push the rusher past the pocket.
- The Anchor: He’s got a "squatty" build for a tackle. His center of gravity is low, which makes him nearly impossible to bull-rush once he sets his feet.
- Football IQ: He picks up stunts and twists effortlessly. You’ll see him pass off a defensive end to the guard and pick up a late-charging blitzing linebacker without even looking. It’s instinctual.
The "Austin BBQ Tour" Factor
Wait, what? Yeah, if you follow him on Instagram, you know Banks isn't just a football player. He’s a food critic. His "Austin BBQ Tour" series became a cult hit while he was at Texas. It sounds like a fun side project, but it actually tells you a lot about the guy.
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He’s meticulous. He talks about the "smoke ring" on a brisket with the same intensity he uses to describe a defensive end's "get-off." That kind of attention to detail carries over. You don't become a unanimous All-American and a Top 10 pick by being a "just show up" kind of athlete.
The Saints' locker room apparently loves it. There were rumors during the season that he was scouting the best spots in New Orleans for the O-line dinners. When your rookie left tackle is the one organizing the chemistry-building dinners, you’ve found a leader.
What’s Next for Banks?
Going into the 2026 season, the expectations are through the roof. The Saints are drafting at No. 8 this year, and they're looking for weapons because they finally feel like the "foundation" is set. That foundation is Banks.
He needs to work on his grip strength. Too many times in 2025, he’d get his hands on a defender but couldn't "sustain" the block, allowing the guy to spin away late in the play. If he fixes that—and cuts down on the holding calls—we’re talking about a perennial Pro Bowler.
Actionable Steps for Fans and Analysts
- Watch the "All-22" Film: If you really want to see why he’s special, stop watching the broadcast view. Find the coaching tape. Watch how he handles the "hand-fighting" in the first two seconds of the play. That's where he wins.
- Monitor the Weight: Banks played at about 315-320 lbs. If he shows up to camp in 2026 at a lean 325, it means he’s added the "grown man strength" needed to stop the elite power rushers.
- Track the Penalties: The first four weeks of the 2026 season will tell us everything. If he keeps the yellow flags in the official's pocket, he’s officially made "The Leap."
The Kelvin Banks Jr. highlights we see today are just the tip of the iceberg. He’s a rare blend of technical refinement and raw, Texas-sized power. For a Saints team that’s been searching for an identity since the Drew Brees era ended, a dominant left tackle is a pretty good place to start. He’s not just a blindside protector; he’s the new face of that offense.