The early returns on the New York Giants’ 2023 first-round pick have not been great. The Giants traded up in last year’s draft to select Maryland cornerback prospect Deonte Banks. After a promising rookie season, the wheels have fallen off the car for Banks in the second season of his career, leading many to wonder; did the Giants draft another bust?
There are several factors contributing to Banks’s struggles this season (and last). A closer look at the details reveals Banks is one adjustment away from becoming a solid NFL cornerback. However, his struggles in man coverage, lack of confidence, and lacking ball skills are preventing Banks from reaching his potential.
Is Deonte Banks a press-man cornerback?
There was the notion when Banks was drafted that he was a perfect fit for then-Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale’s defense as a “prototypical press-man cornerback.” Martindale is known for running a lot of man coverage and Banks’s athleticism and physical attributes made him an attractive target for the Giants during the draft.
Banks, at 6-foot-1, 197 pounds with a 4.35s 40-yard dash and 42-inch vertical jump, scored a perfect 10.0 relative athletic score (RAS) at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine.
But, while Banks did have the traits to develop into a press-man corner, this was always a false narrative. He was not a prototypical press-man cornerback; His performance in man coverage had always been a weakness.
Banks performed better in zone coverage in college
During his time in college at Maryland, Banks thrived in a press zone-coverage-heavy scheme. Maryland ran zone coverage at a high rate, coaching their defensive backs to cover a portion of the field, rather than travel all over the field with their backs to the quarterback. Banks was spectacular in zone coverage, earning his first-round billing:
- Deonte Banks in zone coverage at Maryland in 2022: 72.6 PFF Grade, 12/32 (36.4%), 103 yards, 0 TDs, 32.8 NFL passer rating | 5 forced incompletions 3 PBUs, 1 INT
Inversely, Banks struggled in man coverage at Maryland:
- Deonte Banks in zone coverage at Maryland in 2022: 61.9 PFF Grade, 10/19 (52.6%), 121 yards, 3 TDs, 112.1 NFL passer rating | 5 forced incompletions 3 PBUs
Banks thrived in zone coverage, struggled in man coverage as a rookie
This trend carried over into his rookie season playing under Martindale who deployed man coverage at the highest rate in the NFL last season:
- Deonte Banks in man coverage with the Giants in 2023: 40.7 PFF Grade, 30/48 (62.5%), 413 yards, 3 TDs, 110.9 NFL passer rating | 6 forced incompletions 4 PBUs
He was drastically better, however, in zone coverage as a rookie:
- Deonte Banks in zone coverage with the Giants in 2023: 61.1 PFF Grade, 15/32 (46.9%), 147 yards, 0 TDs, 34.2 NFL passer rating | 4 forced incompletions 2 PBUs 2 INTs
This trend has continued into his second season with the Giants
This trend has continued into 2024. Banks’s bright moments have come in zone coverage while his primary struggles have occurred in man coverage:
- Deonte Banks in man coverage with the Giants in 2024: 30.6 PFF Grade, 12/18 (66.7%), 226 yards, 4 TDs, 149.3 NFL passer rating | 1 forced incompletion 1 PBU 0 INTs
- Deonte Banks in zone coverage with the Giants in 2024: 71.2 PFF Grade, 14/23 (60.9%), 147 yards, 1 TD, 93.9 NFL passer rating | 4 forced incompletions 4 PBUs, 0 INT
According to PFF, the Giants have played man and zone coverages at league-average rates this season but have performed better in zone. They rank seventh in yards allowed per reception in zone (9.9) and 30th in that regard when in man (16.0).
How the Giants can help Banks turn things around
Running more zone coverage and less man coverage would be the clear and obvious solution to fix most of the Giants’ struggles on defense; particularly the struggles of their CB1 Deonte Banks.
Good football teams play to their players’ strengths — not their weaknesses. While it’s unrealistic to expect the Giants to take man coverage out of their game plans, they should make an adjustment and run it at a less frequent rate. This would mask many of Banks’ flaws and allow their top cornerback to improve his play. The more zone, the better.
Ball skills are a fatal flaw for Banks
Even during his time in the NCAA, one of Banks’s chief weaknesses was his ball skills. When the ball is in the air, Banks often struggled to get his head around in time and make a play, despite typically playing tight coverage. This has been one of his biggest issues in the pros, too.
This fatal flaw, however, is tied to the amount of man coverage being run. In man coverage, cornerbacks run with their backs to the quarterback, covering the wide receiver and only turning their heads around once the ball has arrived. In zone coverage, however, cornerbacks backpedal, keeping their eyes on the quarterback and on the football throughout the play, keeping their wide receivers in front of them and breaking on the ball.
Oftentimes this season, Banks has been beaten in man coverage with his back to the football. Despite contesting many of the targets coming his way, he has continuously failed to break up the pass and prevent receptions. This would not happen as frequently if Banks were playing in zone coverage and keeping wide receivers in front of him.
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Banks needs to get his confidence back
What Banks needs now is his confidence; a special trait he once possessed, making him a top prospect in last year’s draft. However, his confidence seems gone now on Sundays, leading to poor-effort plays and mental errors while lining up against top wide receivers this season.
Banks needs one good performance to get his confidence back and start playing with some swagger again. Confidence is crucial, and maybe most crucial at the cornerback position.
The Giants losing star safety Xavier McKinney in free agency this offseason has certainly had an effect on Banks’s confidence. McKinney was a team captain, the leader of a young secondary, and also a best friend and valuable mentor to Banks during his rookie season. Without McKinney, the Giants’ secondary has called upon Banks to step into a leadership role he wasn’t ready to assume.
Is it too late for Banks to turn things around?
Banks is still young. He is only 24 games into his NFL career at 23 years old. It’s not too late for him to turn things around and the Giants could see him take a major developmental step if they adjust their defensive scheme and coverage tendencies.
It’s far too soon to call Banks a bust. Cornerback is one of the toughest positions to play in the NFL — especially when you’re the CB1 as a rookie, playing on a bad team in the NFC East, which is loaded with premier wide receivers.
It’s going to get worse before it gets better. But it’s important for the Giants to remain patient and continue to develop Banks — an ultra-talented cornerback with elite athleticism and incredibly high upside and potential
