With respect to New York Giants rookie cornerback Deonte Banks, two attributes are certain: exceptional athleticism and a combative mindset.
Coming from Maryland, Banks had the opportunity to compete against some of the best receivers in college football, yielding impressive statistics. Banks embodies everything desired in a cornerback, demonstrating both versatility in schemes and receptiveness to coaching.
In his previous year, Banks permitted only 258 total yards across 384 coverage snaps, effectively shutting down and marking some of the game’s most promising young receivers.
One of the crucial traits for a cornerback is the ability to quickly forget errors. Inevitably, there will be moments of defeat, and the ability to show resilience is the optimal response to temporary lapses in judgment and performance downturns.
Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale suggested that Banks not only possesses this short-term memory but also exhibits exceptional athleticism and speed.
“It’s crucial to have a cornerback like that in any defense,” Martindale noted. “He’s highly intuitive. As Ted Lasso would say, he lives life like a goldfish. He has a short memory when things go wrong. He’s mentally tough, physical, he can tackle, and he’s also fast.”
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The Giants landed a big upgrade with Deonte Banks:
The fact is, the Giants had an urgent need to enhance their cornerback position this offseason. Given the importance Martindale places on man coverage in his defensive scheme, Deonte suits this requirement perfectly, helping to bolster a unit that significantly lacked depth in 2022.
After Adoree’ Jackson was injured, Martindale utilized several practice squad-level players to augment the position. Now, with Jackson and Banks, he has a formidable cornerback pairing that could emerge as an underappreciated duo in the upcoming season.
At the minimum, the team recognizes that Banks possesses the potential to mature into a solid CB1, potentially succeeding Jackson. With Adoree’s contract expiring after the 2023 season, it’s entirely plausible that the team could proceed without him, reallocating the funds and promoting Banks to their premier boundary position.