Will Kelvin Banks Jr. get drafted into the NFL? Exploring the chances of Texas OT for 2025 draft

The first round of the 2025 NFL draft starts on Thursday, and Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. could be an early player off the board. Banks completed his junior season at Texas this past year and appears to be one of the highest-rated players in the draft.

Kelvin Banks Jr. will be drafted into the NFL. He is a highly rated prospect who is projected to be drafted on the first day of the draft. Even if he slides out of the first round, he will be picked up by a team early in the second round, most likely.

What round will Kelvin Banks Jr. get drafted?

Based on the projections of most draft experts, Banks will be a first-round pick. Yahoo posted a draft projection article on Wednesday with 14 experts giving their predictions for when Banks Jr. will be selected. All 14 of those experts predicted that he would go in the first round.

Analysts Vinnie Iyer and Jason McIntyre had Banks going the highest to the Chicago Bears with the 10th pick. Jeff Ridson from Draft Wire had Banks going the latest among the 14 experts with the 31st pick to the Kansas City Chiefs. However, even with that pick taken into account, it still appears highly likely that Banks will be a first-round pick and will likely go within the first 20 picks.

However, draft projections do not always line up with draft rankings. While most of the experts in the poll conducted by Yahoo had Banks going within the first 20 picks, Pro Football Focus has him as the No. 22-ranked player in the draft.

Strengths and weaknesses of Kelvin Banks Jr. as an NFL prospect

Kelvin Banks Jr. is a strong prospect, which should not be a surprise considering his status as a likely first-round pick. He has good initial quickness and athleticism for a player his size, and he does a good job tracking rushers and sliding side to side at a steady pace. He keeps his feet active and does a good job of keeping the inside lane protected.

However, Banks is not a perfect prospect. He is athletic, but he lacks body control, which can sometimes push him out of position. NFL.com's scouting report also says that he has sloppy hand placement, which causes problems with maintaining blocks on long plays. There is also concern that his limbs are not at the desired thickness for the NFL level.