Big Blue View
Banks needs to take the next step in his third year
The New York Giants are expecting big things from cornerback Deonte Banks.
There have been high expectations of Banks from the start. After all, not only did they make him a first-round pick, but they used additional draft capital to trade up and acquire him.
Unfortunately, Banks’ career thus far has been a roller coaster.
He’s had some great highs, as well as some deep lows. And overall he has yet to live up to the expectations placed upon him when he was drafted. He’s entering the third year of his rookie contract, so the Giants could have control of him until 2027. But it’s also difficult to see 2025 as anything other than a “make or break” year for the 24-year-old cornerback.
The Giants invested heavily in their defense as a whole this year, adding to every level and building a unit that is young, hyper athletic, and potentially fearsome. Banks, however, stands out as a potential weak link in that defense.
So will Banks (finally) play up to his prodigious potential, or will the Giants be forced to go in another direction?
First and foremost, Banks is a truly elite athlete. We throw the words “elite” and “freak” around quite a bit — and perhaps a bit too freely at times — but Banks’ traits deserve them.
He has a legitimately rare blend of size, speed, and explosiveness which can allow him to match up physically with almost any receiver in the NFL.
Banks has the speed to run with receivers down the field, as well as the explosiveness to close quickly when playing off, and the size to not be bullied at the catch point.
The Giants are playing quarters coverage this play, while the Seahawks are in a 3x1 set. Banks is on the the defensive right at the bottom of the screen, the same side as D.K. Metcalf who is the lone receiver on that side.
We get a great look at Banks’ explosiveness as he stays disciplined in his assignment and baits Geno Smith into throwing to Metcalf. The Giants’ spacing opens a void between the numbers and hash marks, but Banks positions himself slightly beneath Metcalf. That creates a lane to the catch point for Banks, and doesn’t allow Metcalf to shield the ball from the corner. Instead, Banks is able to close hard and fast, knocking the ball away at he last instant.
There has been significant criticism of Banks’ play at the catch point, and it has been deserved. That said, he did show some growth over the course of the 2025 season, and was playing the ball better after returning from the rib injury suffered against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and cost him the next three weeks.
Banks is on the defensive right in both instances, and it might not be much of a coincidence that he’s matched up in man coverage in...
