Texas OT Kelvin Banks Jr. Named Top-5 Pick in Latest ESPN NFL Mock Draft

Texas Longhorns offensive tackle Kelvin Banks looks to be in a position to land a spot on the New England Patriots in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns offensive lineman Cole Hutson (54) and offensive lineman Kelvin Banks Jr. (78) in action during the game between the Texas Longhorns and the Clemson Tigers in the CFP National Playoff First Round at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

As the Texas Longhorns close in on the 2024-2025 season, standing as one of the final four remaining teams in the College Football Playoff, conversations of who will depart in the NFL Draft come April have begun to unfold.

One Longhorn in particular has steadily been on the rise to become a first-round pick, and ESPN NFL draft analyst Jordan Reid confirmed it with his mock lineup that he revealed on Tuesday.

Reid said that Texas junior offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. would be selected as the No. 4 pick by the New England Patriots out of the 32 teams.

He stated that Banks would hopefully give strength to a Patriots offensive line that allowed quarterback Drake Maye to be sacked 34 times in 13 games this season. New England had a 8.2% sacks per dropback rate, the sixth highest in the league, and Reid said Banks stands out as one of, if not the best tackle in the 2025 draft class, making it an obvious choice for the Patriots.

Banks gave up just one sack across 15 games this season for the Longhorns, and tabbed unanimous First-Team All-American honors and received the 2024 Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award. He also serves as part of a Texas team that was named a finalist for the Joe Moore Award for the nation's most outstanding offensive line unit.

Reid's prediction is one of the highest selections for Banks, as a mock draft published by the Bleacher Report has the 6-foot-4-inch, 320-pound athlete headed to the Seattle Seahawks as the No. 18 pick.

But despite all of the speculation that Banks will almost certainly be a first-round selection, he said that he can't let it distract him from the task at hand of finishing out his final season with Texas.

"I try not to look at it. It's definitely something that's exciting. I try to look at it too much, because you kind of get bundled up into that. You'll forget your assignments, or maybe I do at the moment, but it's definitely good to see that kind of sense of your heart rate paying off," Banks said ahead of the Peach Bowl.

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