The New Orleans Saints selected Texas left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. with the No.9 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and he's undoubtedly performing like a top 10 pick should right now.
He's an incredibly gifted pass blocker who consistently displays excellent technique throughout each rep in both practice and in games. Through two preseason games and 23 pass-blocking snaps:
- 0 pressures allowed
- 0 sacks allowed
- 0 QB hits
- 0 QB pressures
- 88.1 overall pass-blocking grade
- 90.1 pass-blocking effectivenss grade
That 88.1 overall pass-blocking grade puts him at the top amongst all other NFL offensive tackles through two preseason games as well.
The highest-graded pass-blocking OT this preseason:
— PFF (@PFF) August 18, 2025
⚜️ Kelvin Banks Jr - 88.1 pic.twitter.com/lh00QupiYI
It's an incredibly good start for the former Longhorn, and hopefully it'll continue into the regular season for Banks. Saints HC Kellen Moore has incredibly high expectations for the first-rounder, even stating early on that he thinks that Banks can be effective at both offensive guard or tackle at the NFL level.
Banks Jr. will be counted on to help fix an offensive line that's been underwhelming over the past two seasons, specifically at offensive tackle. Saints Wire's John Sigler also had some high praise for the rookie left tackle in one of his recent articles:
"Kelvin Banks Jr. looked the part of a top-10 draft pick in Sunday's New Orleans Saints preseason opener. While he only logged 20 snaps against the Los Angeles Chargers, Banks was spotless on 12 reps in pass protection. He didn't allow any quarterback pressures or draw a single penalty."
Though he's looked absolutely incredible in pass pro, he needs to figure out a way to be more consistent and effective as a run-blocker for New Orleans. He's had some pretty sloppy reps when zone-blocking so far. I'm not sure if it's just because he's still adjusting to the NFL game or what, but hopefully he'll begin to improve in that area as the season goes on.