The New Orleans Saints have continued to beef up their offensive line, and while Kelvin Banks Jr. knew the landing spot made sense, it was still a bit overwhelming.
Speaking on WWL Radio with Mike Detillier, Bobby Hebert, Deuce McAllister, Mike Hoss and Steve Geller after landing with New Orleans at No. 9 overall, he shared what that moment meant to him.
“It was a great moment for me and my family just based off how much we’ve been through," Banks said. "I wouldn’t say we grew up the worst, we didn’t have exactly everything everybody had, but my parents always made sure we had what we needed. So it was just one of those moments where I just think back on all the stuff I had to go through, all the stuff my parents had to go through, my mom, my dad, my brother and just thinking back like, I’m somebody who can now … kind of help out with the family and stuff like that, so just a lot of emotions going through just thinking about all the hard times we had to go through in the past.”
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Banks said he knew after positive conversations at the combine and his pro day that the Saints were a possibility, and the Texas native is thrilled to know his family will have the ability to take a short drive to see home games whenever they'd like.
What position will Banks be in when his family looks on at the Caesars Superdome? That's up to the Saints. Banks played exclusively at left tackle in college, but he's willing to do whatever it takes to get on the field. The Saints will have decisions to make after a season that saw Taliese Fuaga start 17 games at left tackle and Trevor Penning doing the same at right tackle. The Saints also seem to have a clear need at guard, which they could potentially turn to either Banks or Penning to fill.
“I’m prepared to play any position on the line that they want to put me at. If it’s at left tackle, left guard or if it’s at center," Banks said, "if it’s at right guard or right tackle, I’m just ready to go out there and play. Wherever they need me at that’s where I’m ready to go do and get the job done.”
The most likely scenario long-term would be Banks taking over at left tackle and Fuaga shifting back to the right side, where he played throughout his college career. The Saints opted not to exercise Penning's 5th year option, setting up a contract year for the 2022 first-round pick.
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“You definitely do got to be mentally strong [to play left tackle]. It’s literally at any moment you could lose, but then you could win every rep and that guy beat you on that last set, now you’re the worst left tackle in the history of football," Banks said, "so it’s definitely one of those moments where you’ve got to be mentally strong, you’ve got to have that next-play mentality, and I feel like I’ve always had that mentality of being a strong person and not letting things kind of disrupt the way I play football.”
The Saints went into the 2025 draft with nine overall selections, including No. 40 in the second round, two thirds and two fourth rounders. The Banks pick marks the ninth time since 2015 that they've spent a first round pick on an offensive or defensive lineman.