Love Banks, But

Our IDL has been a liability since the Williams Wall.

Be happy it isn't anymore.

We have a top 5 Defense. Be Happy!

SurfnRide wrote:

Our IDL has been a liability since the Williams Wall.

Be happy it isn't anymore.

We have a top 5 Defense. Be Happy!

Oh, I’m pretty stoked to the maximum allowable by law.

I’m just saying my guy has been pretty good too.

JustInTime wrote:

Man guy is doing pretty well too.

Let's see him maintain that. Had a gift INT last week, the deluge the week before and a huge lead week 1.

Its a lot more difficult and costly to find elite DL than good to elite safeties. If this is the question you go with Banks all day long. Now maybe in 2 years and Banks hasn't developed we say Thienemann was the better option. No different than saying Harrison Smith has been better than a lot of the other 1st round picks in the 2012 draft. I would say though Banks is tracking towards being a game changing DT - which just don't come around.

This ^^^

I'm with you JT...I wanted Thieneman badly.

However a DT with flexibility is something the Vikings defense has coveted for awhile now and has been very hard to find. With Redmond, LDR, and Williams (and Orange), we may have been fine, but I'm sure the Vikings didn't know they'd be able to get Orange either. I would have been fine with Thieneman and Orange, but I do really like Banks and think he will be a great player for this defense for as long as he stays healthy.

I also think the sting of Hamilton may have been wearing off when Thieneman was there, so it brought up those frustrations all over again.

I should also note that I was banging the drums for Thieneman before the draft. I didn't think Banks would fall to us though.

We got lucky Smith came back to provide the leadership. Vikings FO might have already know Smith would come back and that he didn't want to do TC or the PS and that he was staying in great shape and that could have lead to their decision with Banks.

We can find a safety next year.

😂 all I said was my guy was doing well! Good lord.

@SurfnRide there’s a kid at Cal very few are talking about at the moment, but they will be.

Does this sound like a prospect BFlo would like:

Kingston Lopa Profile & Overview

• Position & School: Safety, California Golden Bears (formerly Oregon) [1]

• Measurements: 6-5, 210 pounds [1]

• 2026 Season Highlights: Burst onto the first-round NFL draft radar after racking up five interceptions in his first three games of the season. [1]

• Draft Outlook: Initially projected as a Day 3 pick with high versatility across safety, linebacker, and edge, his elite ball skills and explosive playmaking early in the college football season have pushed him firmly into early-round and first-round mock draft conversations. [1, 2]