Giants Ecstatic with Addition of Cornerback Deonte Banks

The first round of the 2023 NFL Draft is complete, and the New York Giants filled one of their biggest needs while landing one of the top cornerback talents in the class.

After trading the 25th, 160th, and 240th picks to Jacksonville to move up one spot, the Giants selected Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks, who perfectly fits what Wink Martindale wants to do on defense, as he excels at press coverage and is a very physical player.

General manager Joe Schoen said there were a lot of teams interested in trading up to pick 25, but they ultimately decided to trade up as insurance to land Banks.

“I would say it got pretty tense. We had a lot of irons in the fire, whether it was moving up, moving back. We had a lot of opportunities to move out of 25 if we would have stayed there," Schoen said after the pick was made.

Banks has the size and strength to match up with anybody. He’s not afraid of contact, and his athleticism is always on display. Schoen raved about Banks’ football IQ and how he’ll fit into the Giants' defense.

“He's a prototype from a size standpoint. He's athletic. He's physical. He can run. He ran 4.32 at the Combine. He has arm length, big hands. He's been a four-year starter," Schoen said in answering what about Banks appealed most to the team.

"He was hurt a year ago, but he has played a lot of ball there at Maryland, and schematically, he's a good fit. And we spent a lot of time with him. Met with him at the Combine. He's a guy that, you know, we went down to the pro day, and we spent a good amount of time with him, and again we felt comfortable with him.

“Football intellect was good. Very good understanding of their defense. I'll give our scouts the credit--he was hurt in 2021, and one of our guys was in there in August, and he wasn't really on our radar because he didn't play a lot in 2021, and so our scouts were on him early.”

Since parting with James Bradberry last year in a salary-cap-related move, the Giants have struggled to find a stable second cornerback to go along with Adoree’ Jackson.

Injuries didn't help, as projected starter Aaron Robinson was lost for the season early on with a knee injury. And the problem became worse when Jackson went down with an injury and missed seven games.

Many players, including Fabian Moreau, Nick McCloud, and Cor’Dale Flott, tried to fill the void. Ultimately, that side of the field was always a concern, and the Giants felt they needed to address that early and take Banks.

“You can never have enough good corners," said head coach Brian Daboll. "This is a passing league. We have a tough division, and Te, he's a tall, lengthy, press, man-to-man corner who we had graded high, and happy we have him.”

“He's played a lot of press man-to-man. Again, we play a variety of defenses with our system, but he's played a heavy amount of man-to-man coverage and press, and he's strong. He's got good length. He's got good quickness, good speed. And now we'll just throw him in the mix with our guys, and good to have him.”

While Banks is the team's latest first-round draft pick, Schoen and Daboll reiterated that he must earn his team role. There will be competition, one being with Flott, who was their third-round pick last year.

Flott showed flashes in the little playing time he received and will compete for the second cornerback spot along with Banks and perhaps Robinson, the incumbent. Cornerback is also considered one of the hardest transitions from college to the pro level. A lot of learning will have to take place for Banks to become what the Giants want him to be.

“We got a lot of work to do, so you know, with us, everybody has got to earn their role," Daboll said. "Come in, throw him in the mix. Again we think he's a good player. Obviously, we drafted him in the first round, but everybody here has to earn their role and come in there and compete.”

“That's one of the hardest positions in football,” Schoen added. “You're moving backward, away from the ball, trying to cover elite athletes. So it's one of the most difficult positions, I think, in the NFL. Like Dabs said, everybody is going to come and compete. Nobody is going to be given anything. So he's going to have to come in and earn his stripes, and he's got a lot to learn in terms of scheme and our defense.”

The Giants showed they aren’t afraid of trading up to secure the player they want. They now have seven remaining picks, with possible intentions of trading up again on day two if they see a player they like.

“I'd still go up. We still have our premium, second, third, and fourth. We are in good shape from that standpoint if we want to move around,” Schoen said.

The Giants hold Picks 57 and 89 on Day 2 of the draft.

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