Perhaps the New York Jets have their eyes on an offensive lineman not named Armand Membou or Will Campbell with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.
In ESPN’s annual NFL Nation mock draft, where each team’s ESPN beat reporter makes a first-round pick based on what they believe the team should do, Jets reporter Rich Cimini predicts New York will select Texas offensive lineman Kelvin Banks with the No. 7 overall pick.
“TE Tyler Warren will be considered, but the Jets really want to upgrade at right tackle after losing Morgan Moses (Patriots),” wrote Cimini. “Banks was a three-year starter at left tackle, but the feeling is that he could make the switch to the right side.
“The Jets could have their bookends for the next decade in Banks and Olu Fashanu, last year’s first-round pick,” he added. “That would help new QB Justin Fields and the ground attack.”
Banks entered college as a five-star recruit out of Summer Creek High School. Initially committed to Oregon, the Texas native ultimately flipped to the Longhorns, where he anchored the left side of the offensive line for three seasons.
Banks started all 42 games at left tackle during his time in Austin, surrendering just three sacks. In 2024, he delivered his most dominant performance yet, earning an 81.0 run-blocking grade and an 89.9 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus. His efforts earned him unanimous All-American honors, along with the Jacobs Blocking Trophy and the Lombardi Award.
Now regarded as one of the top offensive linemen in the 2025 draft class, Banks sits at No. 13 on NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus big board. If general manager Darren Mougey opts to address the offensive line with New York’s first-round pick, the former Longhorn could certainly be an option.
One potential concern with Banks’ fit in New York is his positional experience. He has played exclusively at left tackle in college, a spot the Jets appear to have filled with first-round pick Olu Fashanu. The team’s more pressing need is at right tackle, where Banks has yet to take a snap. However, Cimini noted there’s a “feeling” the former five-star recruit could make the transition.
Cimini has previously connected Banks to the Jets. On Sunday, he identified the Texas standout as a possible option if Missouri’s Armand Membou is off the board when New York makes their selection.
Quietly rising behind the top names, Banks might be the sleeper pick that fills one of the Jets’ most immense voids.
