When the New York Giants selected Deonte Banks with the 24th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, he was the fourth cornerback taken, and a player that the Giants’ front office felt they got a steal at the pick.
Banks is a long, athletic defensive back with elite-level explosiveness made possible by a 42” vertical jump, an 11’4” broad jump, and a 4.35 forty time. That, mixed with a diverse coverage background, made Banks a valuable piece to add to their defensive backfield.
Banks wasted no time claiming a starting spot opposite Adoree’ Jackson during training camp and the preseason. During his rookie season, it became evident that Banks had developed into the Giants’ CB1.
The Giants’ game against the Green Bay Packers illustrated the many dimensions of Banks’s game. He played on the outside and covered receivers in the slot. He played in press man and off man. He also played in a good amount of zone coverage.
He covered deep routes, crossing routes and option routes. And we got a chance to see him break on passes and deal with blockers in the run game.
This was a a great game to identify his strengths and point out his weaknesses, so let’s look at the good, the great, and the ugly of Deonte Banks’s tape.
How can a defensive back use the suddenness produced by elite-level explosion? They can use it to break on short or underneath routes quickly.
When Banks plays off the receiver, his game's explosive element allows him to quickly close the distance on a route. He can keep the cushion necessary to position the receiver in front of him and when that receiver tries to snap off a shorter route, he is able to close on the ball and make it a difficult pass for the quarterback.
It also means that if he does not respond as well in press-man coverage to a cut by the receiver, he more than has the ability to close the distance down and make a play on the ball.
It also allows him to redirect and chase any ball carrier on the field. During the Packers game you could see Banks close down the distance on receivers running routes or ball carriers.
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One of the most important qualities of elite cornerbacks is the ability to stay attached to a receiver when they run routes built to separate; fade balls and crossing routes are always difficult routes to keep contained.
If you react too early, they snap off shower routes that you are not in position to defend. If you sit too long, the receiver separates from you before you can get to top speed.
What makes Banks so good is that his elite explosiveness and speed allow him to sit longer to defend shorter routes and close the cushion or run with deeper routes designed to stress cornerbacks vertically. He can stay in the hip pocket of the receiver to ensure that he has a chance to make a play on the ball in the air.
During the Green Bay game, there were instances when they tried to stretch him vertically or across the field, and he was lockstep with the receiver. When the quarterback thought he had a win and threw it deep, Banks was there to make the play on the ball.
The big negative that jumped off the screen while watching Banks in this game against the Packers game was his hesitation as a tackler. What makes it even more interesting is that he had 12 tackles in the game, but it was the fact that he was forced into so many situations where he had to tackle that really highlighted his apprehension.
It's hard to tell if fear or indecision caused Banks to look so uncomfortable. If you were to hypothesize based on the film, you would probably say a little of both: Fear of the unknown and not exactly understanding his run fits or how to use a proper tackling form that works for him.
Regardless, his hesitance allowed the offensive players to become aggressors and gain more positive yards. He will learn how to funnel things back inside to his help and not wait for the ball carrier. He caught a lot of tackles and blocks in this game, and he will learn that corners usually lose that battle.
Coach’s Counsel
Banks, like many of the younger defensive backs in the league, has hopefully spent an extensive amount of time in the weight room. Size is not an issue, but he could stand to be stronger as that will help him be more violent with his jam in press coverage.
It will also keep him from getting knocked back when taking on blocks on the perimeter and should provide him more confidence and physicality when he needs to get involved in the run defense.
His coverage skills will only continue to grow, and as he matures as a professional, that aspect of his game will increase as well.
