Sports

'No Thanks' - NFL Fans Disturbed By Vikings Rookie Caleb Banks' Pets

There were plenty of surprises in the first round of the NFL Draft last night. One of the biggest was Florida defensive lineman Caleb Banks going No. 18 overall to the Minnesota Vikings after widely being viewed as a second-round pick. But Banks had some more surprises in store for fans on Friday.

Speaking to the media on Friday, Banks revealed that he has a pretty extensive collection of unique pets - and we're not just talking about furry friends. While he does own a Cane Corso mastiff, he revealed that he also owns two pythons, a chameleon and a pet tarantula.

"Caleb Banks said he has two pythons, a chameleon and a cane corso. They will be all moving to Minnesota. There are possibly more to come as well. A tarantula was mentioned," The Athletic's Alec Lewis wrote on X.

Nope.

Plenty of NFL fans were outright disgusted by Banks' choice of pets, particularly the snakes and spider.

"Oh man. Nope," NFL insider Ian Rapoport declared.

"lower the already low grade for the pick," another fan wrote.

"Nevermind. Banks was a horrible pick. F-," wrote a third.

"You know someone is a bust when they own multiple pythons, let alone ONE. Snakes of any kind are my biggest fear, and I'm talking about the ones you see in real life."

"Straight up bust. Glad we didn't get him."

 MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - OCTOBER 31: A detailed view of a Minnesota Vikings helmet during warmups prior to a game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Dallas Cowboys at U.S. Bank Stadium on October 31, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - OCTOBER 31: A detailed view of a Minnesota Vikings helmet during warmups prior to a game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Dallas Cowboys at U.S. Bank Stadium on October 31, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) Stacy Revere/Getty Images

But for every fan who was disgusted, there was another who was delight and feels that it's exactly the kind of traits they want in an elite defensive lineman.

"Exactly the energy I want from a defensive tackle," one user declared.

"This man might be weird enough to be great."

"Alright bro my new Defensive Tackle is literally a Psycho we might have a stud 😭 WHAT KIND OF PERSON WILLINGLY OWNS PYTHONS AND TARANTULAS?"

"This is the type of dude you want playing defensive tackle for you. A complete psychopath."

Let's just hope that Banks has somewhere warm to keep his cold-blooded pets.

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This story was originally published April 24, 2026 at 5:33 PM.

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