NFL Draft: Giants trade up, take Maryland CB Deonte Banks at No. 24
Giants fans had to be patient on Thursday night.
Now they’ll hope the wait was worth it.
As the first round of the NFL Draft played out, the Giants finally made their selection, shortly before 11 p.m., and with the 24th pick overall.
The choice: cornerback Deonte Banks, who played his college ball at Maryland.
General manager Joe Schoen moved up from 25th overall to 24th to secure the Banks selection. Yes, Schoen said, the run of four straight receivers drafted in the middle of the round did affect his strategy. At that point, the Giants were going to be content to draft a cornerback. (A wide receiver could be in the Giants’ plans Friday.)
The swap with the Jaguars cost the Giants picks No. 160 and 240.
What stands out about Banks? His confidence and his speed, not necessarily in that order.
Banks ran a blazing 4.35 40 at 2023 NFL Combine.
As the pick got closer, the Giants got antsier. They wanted to make sure they got their man, especially at a position of need.
Banks said he originally connected with members of the Giants at dinner during a visit.
“They’re cool,” Banks said on a conference call. “Unique type of characters. I love them.”
Not surprisingly, part of Banks’ instant connection with the Giants with was the presence of defensive coordinator Wink Martindale.
“It felt like my home,” Banks said. “I knew if I made it to 25, it was going to be the Giants.”
The last time the Giants selected a cornerback in the first round, if you were wondering, was in 2016, when Eli Apple was the choice.
The Giants entered the day with cornerback, wide receiver and interior offensive linemen among their biggest needs. Banks checks one of those boxes. Arguably, the biggest one.
“The Giants are getting a truly special player and person,” said Maryland coach Michael Locksley. “I know Deonte has been dreaming of this moment ever since [he was] a kid growing up in Baltimore. I’ve seen firsthand the hard work and tireless effort he’s put into becoming a great player and teammate. I’m so proud of him and elated for his entire family.”
Schoen said he considers Banks to be “a prototype from a size standpoint.”
“He’s athletic,” Schoen said. “He’s physical. He can run. He ran a 4.32 at the combine. Arm length. Big hands. A four-year starter. He was hurt a year ago [in 2021] but he played a lot of ball [at Maryland]. Schematically, he is a good fit. We spent a lot of time with him, met with him at the Combine. He’s a guy who we down to his pro day and spent a good amount of time getting comfortable with.”
Cornerback was a need for the Giants, who have only Adoree’ Jackson as their most established veteran at the position. Jackson is under contract for only through the 2023 season.
“I think you can never have enough good corners,” coach Brian Daboll said. “This is a passing league, we have a tough division, and Tae, He’s a tall, lengthy press man-to-man corner who we had graded high. I’m happy we have him.”
Banks said he has modeled his game after Jalen Ramsey and Marshawn Lattimore. He describes his game as “press man, lock down corner.”
Banks said he expects the adjustment to the NFL to be relatively seamless and the Giants to be “fun.”
As for his new defensive coordinator, Banks said, “I’m very familiar with Wink’s defense. I like it. I love it, actually.”
DEONTE BANKS
Cornerback
R-Junior, Maryland
6-0, 197 lbs
As a junior in 2022 he broke up eight passes, posted 38 tackles, and had one interception in 12 games (he opted out of the Terps’ bowl game) … Very smooth physical skills … Was a standout at the Combine with a 4.35 40-yard dash, 11-4 broad jump, and a 42-inch vertical; he lettered in track in high school and set several records.