Keshawn Duvall Banks (born December 21, 1999) is an American professional football linebacker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the San Diego State Aztecs and was signed by the Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2023.
| No. 51 – New England Patriots | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | December 21, 1999 Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight: | 251 lb (114 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Rio Rancho (Rio Rancho, New Mexico) |
| College: | San Diego State (2018–2022) |
| Undrafted: | 2023 |
| Career history | |
| |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Roster status: | Practice squad |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Early life
editBanks was born on December 21, 1999, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.[1] He attended Rio Rancho High School and played football, basketball and track; he won three varsity letters while playing football and helped the team compile an undefeated 13–0 record and win the state championship in 2016.[2][3] He received all-district, all-metro and all-state honors while being the metro defensive player of the year and being invited to the North–South all-star game.[3] He totaled 133 tackles, 18 sacks, eight pass deflections, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries in his high school career, including 55 tackles, 10 sacks and four pass deflections as a senior.[3] A three-star recruit, he committed to play college football for the San Diego State Aztecs.[3]
College career
editBanks played in 12 games as a true freshman at San Diego State University in 2018 and had seven tackles.[3] He became a starter in 2019 and was named second-team All-Mountain West Conference (MWC) after totaling 43 tackles, 13.5 tackles-for-loss and 4.5 sacks.[4][5] He started seven games in 2020 and had 14 tackles, being named honorable mention All-MWC.[3] Banks was named second-team all-conference for the second time in 2021, recording 35 tackles, 11 tackles-for-loss, 15 quarterback hurries and five sacks.[6] In his final season, 2022, he was named honorable mention all-conference and made 40 tackles, 11.5 tackles-for-loss and 3.5 sacks.[2][7] He ended his collegiate career having started his final 47 games and placed sixth in school history with 42 tackles-for-loss; he also had 137 tackles.[8][9]
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3+1⁄4 in (1.91 m) |
251 lb (114 kg) |
32+3⁄4 in (0.83 m) |
10+1⁄4 in (0.26 m) |
4.60 s | 7.30 s | 29.0 in (0.74 m) |
8 ft 11 in (2.72 m) |
20 reps | ||||
| All values from Pro Day[10] | ||||||||||||
Green Bay Packers
editAfter going unselected in the 2023 NFL draft, Banks was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent.[11] He had five tackles and two quarterback pressures in preseason.[12] He was released at the final roster cuts and subsequently re-signed to the practice squad.[13][14] After having appeared in no regular season games, he was elevated to the active roster for the team's divisional round playoff game and made his debut in their loss to the San Francisco 49ers, appearing on nine special teams snaps and two defensive snaps.[12][15][16] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 22, 2024.[17] He was released on August 27, 2024.[18]
Michigan Panthers
editOn October 9, 2024, Banks signed with the Michigan Panthers of the United Football League (UFL).[19] His contract was terminated on October 22 to sign with an NFL team.[20]
New England Patriots
editOn October 23, 2024, Banks signed with the New England Patriots practice squad.[21]
References
edit- ^ "Keshawn Banks Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ a b Ortega, Brandon (April 29, 2023). "Rio Rancho grad Keshawn Banks signing free agent deal with Packers". KOB.
- ^ a b c d e f "Keshawn Banks". San Diego State Aztecs.
- ^ Garrison, Paul (2021). "Most important Aztecs in 2021: Keshawn Banks". East Village Times.
- ^ Kenerly, Matthew (July 28, 2020). "2020 Mountain West Football Top 50 Players: #27, San Diego State DE Keshawn Banks". Mountain West Wire.
- ^ Kenerly, Matthew (August 10, 2022). "2022 Mountain West Football Top 50: #23, San Diego State DE Keshawn Banks". Mountain West Wire.
- ^ "SDSU Ties Program Best with 16 Conference Honors for Football Team". Times of San Diego. December 5, 2022.
- ^ Huber, Bill (April 30, 2023). "Packers Undrafted Free Agents: Best Group (Little) Money Can Buy". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ Catlin, Nick (May 2, 2023). "Former Rio Rancho football player signs with Green Bay Packers". KOAT-TV.
- ^ "2023 NFL Draft Scout Keshawn Banks College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
- ^ Kenney, Kirk (April 29, 2023). "No Aztecs selected in 2023 NFL Draft, but seven players sign as free agents". San Diego Union-Tribune.
- ^ a b Kruse, Zach (January 20, 2024). "Packers elevate OLB Keshawn Banks from practice squad for divisional round vs. 49ers". USA Today.
- ^ Benson, Bradley (August 29, 2023). "Four New Mexican players cut from NFL rosters". KRQE.
- ^ Grammer, Geoff (September 5, 2023). "Cincinnati Bengals sign Eldorado's Zach Gentry to practice squad, Packers do same with Rio Rancho's Keshawn Banks". Albuquerque Journal.
- ^ Reider, Sean (January 20, 2024). "Packers elevate former Rio Rancho star to active roster for divisional playoff game". Albuquerque Journal.
- ^ "Keshawn Banks Career Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ "Packers sign 14 free agents". Packers.com. January 22, 2024.
- ^ "Packers announce roster moves". Packers.com. August 27, 2024.
- ^ @UFL_PR (October 9, 2024). "The #UFL has announced the following transactions" (Tweet). Retrieved October 10, 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ @UFL_PR (October 22, 2024). "The #UFL has announced the following transactions" (Tweet). Retrieved October 24, 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Patriots Sign LB Keshawn Banks to the Practice Squad". patriots.com. Retrieved October 24, 2024.