Hot Take Tuesday: Deonte Banks is the Best Cornerback in the 2023 Draft
It's a great cornerback class, with talent at the top and depth throughout the draft but the race for CB1 is still wide open. Several players have been mocked as the first cornerback off the board but there isn't a clear-cut consensus.
Based on his play this season and upside, Maryland's Deonte Banks has the tools to be the first cornerback drafted and the best cornerback from the class.
It starts with his uncoachables. Banks has excellent top-end speed to contend with faster receivers deep. He never looked stressed against the more explosive downfield receivers he faced.
Not only is Banks fast but he has great fluidity for his size. He has easy change-of-direction skills to mirror receivers and change direction with them. His stop-start also stood out and Banks was never out of phase in man coverage.
Banks' film also has notable length and physicality, allowing him to excel at challenging receivers at the catch point. All those traits point to him projecting as a high-end press-man boundary cornerback.
His patience and natural feel for the game will make him a scheme-diverse cornerback. He never looks lost in zone coverage and his quick trigger and instincts were fully displayed. Banks can come downhill fast to make a play on the football.
In the NFL, teams will look to expose cornerbacks who can't tackle but that won't be the case with Banks. He didn't miss any tackles on film and was a willing run defender and that physicality that showed up in coverage translated in the run game. Teams won't be drafting Banks for his run defense and tackling but it's an added bonus.
It is hard to find cornerbacks who check as many boxes as Banks is hard. He has the speed, was a lockdown cover cornerback in the Big Ten and is scheme diverse. Banks was far and away the best player on a talented Maryland secondary. He also didn't give up many receptions, as Banks recorded only a 43.3% reception rate when targeted.
In terms of a next-level comparison, Banks projects favorably to former Georgia cornerback Tyson Campbell. They have a lot of similar natural traits with their size, speed and fluidity.
That impressive recovery speed and ability to change direction at a high level were also evident in Campbell's film. Banks is more physical than Campbell was coming out and I like Banks' instincts a little more, which is why I think it will be an easier transition for Banks.
In year two with the Jaguars, Campbell has developed into one of the best cornerbacks in the league and a pro bowl caliber player. If we were to do a re-draft for the 2021 class, Campbell would be a top 10-15 pick.
Teams won't want to make the same mistake they did with Campbell two years ago. Banks has that kind of upside and should be an immediate contributor as an outside cornerback for whoever drafts him.
There are several quality cornerbacks in the class but none possesses Banks' combination of size, speed, fluidity and upside. He has the chance to be a special player and deserves the CB1 title.
