The New Orleans Saints have seen a few really big positives come out of a 4-10 start to the 2025 season, and among them is the belief that they've landed their left tackle of the future.
That player, of course, is Kelvin Banks, whom the Saints selected No. 9 out of Texas in the most recent draft and who has gone on to start all 14 games as a rookie. Banks sat down with Voice of the Saints Mike Hoss this week for a wide-ranging interview about the 2025 season, his background, the recent big NFC South wins and more.
Hear the full, exclusive interview with Kelvin Banks in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
“The older guys, the vets, they make sure you know you’re still a rookie and kind of let you hear it a couple times throughout the season, but you definitely don’t feel like a rookie at this point of the season," Banks said, "and so it’s been … a long journey coming from where we started to now, but definitely don’t feel like a rookie at all.”
Rookie or not, it's been Banks who has been the steadying presence at left tackle, with every other position along the line having players miss multiple games due to injury. The Saints went into the season with Trevor Penning at left guard, who has been traded to the Seahawks, and Erik McCoy at center, who is on IR with an elbow injury. Veterans Dillon Radunz and Luke Fortner have filled in at those spots. RG Cesar Ruiz and RT Taliese Fuaga have also missed time with multiple ankle injuries.
Related
The Saints OL has also had to adjust to two different starting QBs, with Spencer Rattler starting the first 8 games before giving way to rookie Tyler Shough.
“It’s a good experience for me. I mean, you never want other guys to go down, but it gives you a chance to kind of get to know other guys and kind of pick their brain about their experience and what they’ve been through and how they’ve been able to get out of different situations," Banks said. "If they weren’t playing good, how they were able to control those situations and bounce back better. It definitely helps a lot, just being a rookie and understanding different guys and different perspectives they have, for sure.”
Banks and Co. will get back on the field this week when the Saints (4-10) host the Jets (3-11), with a chance to notch the team's first three-game winning streak since the back end of the 2022 season. Catch all the action on WWL and Audacy.