Anthony Rivardo
The New York Giants added some intriguing undrafted rookies this spring following the 2026 NFL Draft, including one roster long shot with a rare athletic profile and a versatile skill set that could be utilized on both offense and special teams. That rookie is New Mexico RB Damon Bankston.
Bankston has a difficult path to earn a roster spot through the Giants’ impressive running back room that features Tyrone Tracy Jr., Cam Skattebo, Devin Singletary, among others. The Giants already have bodies with NFL experience or draft investment on the roster at running back.
So Bankston’s route to making the roster has to be different. It has to be through special teams, where is explosive return abilities in college could give him an edge over others on the roster competing for final spots this summer.
The Giants will give UDFA rookie RB Damon Bankston a real look
The Giants officially added Bankston after the draft, listing him among their undrafted rookie free-agent signings before rookie minicamp.
Bankston is a 5-foot-10, 196-pounds that transferred from Weber State to New Mexico for his final college season. He hit career highs in total touchdowns, receptions, and receiving yards in 2025. Plus, he proved to be a deadly return man.
Bankston’s speed could be valuable
Bankston ran a blazing-fast 4.44-second 40-yard dash while also putting up 21 bench reps. He has a rare combination of elite speed and solid strengths.
Bankston totaled 114 carries for 635 rushing yards and five touchdowns, 31 catches for 397 receiving yards and three touchdowns, plus 12 kick returns for 434 yards and two touchdowns in his lone season at New Mexico.
That gives him 1,466 all-purpose yards when the return production is included. And the kick return production is critical, because special teams is probably his most realistic path to making the roster as an undrafted rookie.
Before his year with the Lobos, Bankston ran for 1,104 yards and six touchdowns at Weber State in 2024, averaging 6.2 yards per carry and earning second-team All-Big Sky honors. The athletic profile and overlooked production in college are the reasons the Giants wanted him in the building.
Could he make the team through special teams?
The running back room is not easy to crack, and Bankston probably is not going to win a roster spot by taking traditional carries from more established players. His best path to a roster spot is on special teams.
A back who can catch, run, and threaten the kick return game gives himself more ways to survive cuts. Bankston does not need to be the Giants’ RB3 on offense if he can prove to be a capable and explosive return specialist.
That is how undrafted players steal summers. They do not always win the cleanest positional battle. They create a role that did not look obvious in May. Bankston has the kind of skill set that can do that. He can catch the ball out of the backfield, hit long speed, and he has return experience.
Bankston is worth watching in the summer
But Bankston is still an undrafted rookie entering a crowded room. He has to prove he can protect the ball, handle pass-protection assignments, and bring value on coverage units if the Giants ask him to do more than return kicks.
But he’s also not just another camp back waiting for fourth-quarter preseason carries. He is a speed-and-space player with return upside, receiving production, and enough athletic testing to make the Giants give him a longer look.
That is why he might be the team’s most interesting roster long shot. If he makes noise this summer, it will probably come on special team, maybe through an explosive return, or through one broken angle in space, giving the Giants’ coaching staff a much harder cutdown conversation.
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