Texas OT Kelvin Banks selected No. 9 overall by the New Orleans Saints

Banks is the first Longhorns offensive lineman drafted in the first round since Mike Williams in 2002.

The first Texas Longhorns player selected in the 2025 NFL Draft is left tackle Kelvin Banks at No. 9 overall by the New Orleans Saints on Thursday.

Banks is the first Longhorns offensive lineman selected in the first round since Mike Williams was the No. 4 overall pick by the Buffalo Bills in 2002.

Banks hails from Humble Atascosita and was a consensus five-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class ranked as the No. 33 player nationally and the No. 3 offensive tackle, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Originally committed to Oregon, Banks re-opened his recruitment when Mario Cristobal left for Miami and opted to remain in Texas and play for the Longhorns as part of a program-changing offensive line class that featured seven signees.

Despite seemingly infinite expectations, Banks managed to immediately exceed them and continue doing so over his three years on the Forty Acres.

As a true freshmen, Banks Jr. started all 13 games at left tackle on the way to becoming a freshmen All American and second-team All-Big 12 Selection even though he was a summer enrollee. Banks Jr. protected the blind side while creating gaping running lanes and helping Bijan Robinson win the Doak Walker Award and become a unanimous All-American. In the second game of his career, he had to block Alabama standouts Dallas Turner and Will Anderson, both eventually first-round draft picks, and only allowed one quarterback hurry.

Over the entire season, Banks only allowed two sacks and 12 pressures while committing two penalties.

Banks followed up on the phenomenal freshman campaign by being named second-team All-America and first-team All-Big 12 on a line that was named a Joe Moore Award semifinalist. Banks Jr. blocked for Doak Walker Award semifinalist Jonathon Brooks and Davey O’Brien Award semifinalist Quinn Ewers while helping Texas win the Big 12 Championship and reach the College Football Playoffs.

In his final season on the Forty Acres, Banks won two high-profile national awards while continuing to serve as the anchor of the left side of a Joe Moore Award finalist offensive line. Banks Jr. was instrumental in Texas returning to the College Football Playoffs and was awarded the 2024 Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award recognizing the nation’s top OL/DL and top OL respectively.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian addressed pre-draft rumors about Banks moving inside to guard at the next level and discussed his belief that Banks is a tackle on Tuesday.

“There’s so much strategy involved in it that I try not to listen too much to what’s just said and watch the draft unfold. But as it pertains to Kelvin Banks, as I’ve told everybody, I think this guy’s a premier tackle in the NFL. He’s got the right physical measurables. He’s got the right mental makeup. He’s reliable. You can count on him. He’s there every day. He’s emotionally stable, which you have to be at tackle in the NFL. You’ve got to play every play like this, you can’t ride an emotional roller coaster. So again, whoever gets him is going to get a guy that’s probably going to play 10-12 years in the NFL, knock on wood, barring injury, and have a great career,” Sarkisian said.