Aaron Banks NFL Draft Overview
Position: Offensive guard
Height: 6’5”
Weight: 328 lbs.
School: Notre Dame
2021 NFL Draft: Aaron Banks Player Profile
Notre Dame has become “Offensive Lineman University” in college football. Their list of alumni (Quenton Nelson, Mike McGlinchey, Zack Martin, and Ronnie Stanley) contains some of the best linemen in the NFL. The pipeline should continue in this year’s NFL Draft as left guard Aaron Banks has the potential to become a quality offensive guard as a pro.
Banks popped up the radar of college recruiters in 2017. In no time, he became one of the top high school prospects in the Oakland area of Northern California. College football coaches loved his size, frame, and blocking fundamentals. As such, Banks drew interest from the top schools like Michigan, Oregon, Notre Dame, and UCLA. It did not take him long to commit to the Fighting Irish. Banks felt it was the lone football program capable of developing his talents to an NFL level.
Despite joining college football as a promising recruit, Banks needed time to develop his overall game before becoming a solid contributor to Notre Dame’s offense. The Fighting Irish coaching staff elected to redshirt him in his freshman season, but Banks showed some promise at practice the following spring. This led to Banks appearing in all 13 games (two as the starting left guard) the subsequent season.
Once Banks made the starting lineup, Notre Dame’s running game became one of the best in all of college football. It was so effective it helped the Fighting Irish to earn two berths (2018 and 2020) in the College Football Playoffs. Banks’s superb play on the interior earned him First-Team Associated Press All-American and First-Team All-ACC honors last season. As a result of his efforts on the field, Banks was invited to play in last January’s Senior Bowl.
Strengths
- Very physical;
- Strong lower-body frame;
- Loves contact;
- Devastating run blocker;
- Excellent leverage against bull rushers;
- Quick first step: dominates defenders off the snap.
Weaknesses
- Trouble getting outside to lead on pull blocks;
- Can be technically lazy;
- Exits stance too high, too often;
- Clumsy footwork;
- Questionable lateral quickness.
NFL Comparison: Shaq Mason
Teams With Need at Position: Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, and Miami Dolphins
Projection: Second-to-Third Round
Bottom Line on Aaron Banks
Banks will enter the NFL with some limitations, as he can prove clumsy in his footwork against more athletic defenders. He has the strength and power to knock an opponent off their feet, but Banks struggles with lateral movement on passing downs. With the right tutelage, however, Banks can develop into an effective run and pass blocker.
His style is best suited for a team implementing a straight-ahead power-blocking scheme in their offensive attack. He loves moving bodies off the line of scrimmage, so if Banks can improve his pass blocking he can become a pivotal staple of an offensive line.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
