Deonte Banks

Pos: CB

School: Maryland

Ht. 6’3″ 

Wt. 198

Games Watched: Ohio State, Michigan, Purdue

One Liner: Aggressive corner who wins with press technique, athleticism, football IQ

Strengths: 

  • Very good athletic ability. Banks is a fluid, athletic corner, who has the long speed and quickness to be a scheme versatile corner at the next level. He has no issues flipping his hips, and has greased and smooth transitions from his cross steps in off man, to his hip flips in press. He can break on the ball when he gives some cushion and has the closing burst to affect passing lanes. 
  • Very good strength. Banks has the upper body strength to compete at the catch point with big bodied receivers. He has strong arms that allow him to derail routes early in their progression as a press man corner, and can win with physicality in coverage. 
  • Very good press technique. Banks is a nuanced press corner who opens his hips with proper timing, and keeps his upper body square until well beyond the release of the receiver. He shows good patience for a college corner, and understands when to attack and commit to a certain route after mirroring.
  • Good football IQ. In off-man and zone, Banks does a great job of predicting route progressions and can undercut routes due to great instincts and eye discipline. 

Weaknesses:

  • Adequate footwork. Banks needs to clean up some footwork as a press corner, and while he has good technique, he is sometimes a bit hesitant on what’s in front of him, leading to him taking some false steps which could hurt him at the next level if his athleticism won’t bail him out. He’ll have to develop better instincts in press and thus will be able to correct any hesitant movements on sharp cuts at the stem.
  • Adequate ball skills. Banks will have to improve his technique and timing at the catch point, in order to be a more productive player at the next level. He has good athleticism which allows him to compete against receivers in 50/50 situations, but will need to refine some technique here to solidify himself as a ballhawk.

Overall Assessment: Deonte Banks checks off a lot of boxes that coaches look for, and is way ahead of his progression as a college corner. Banks is a nuanced press corner who has great hip timing and fluidity, and can mirror routes developing until he commits. He has an above average athlete who has short area quickness, burst and long speed to be a high ceiling corner in the NFL. Banks has good instincts for the most part, and will play with good confidence and aggression. He will have to improve some technicalities in press with his footwork and route anticipation, and develop his catch timing and technique to be a more productive player, however these will come in time in the NFL. Banks does many things very well, and while he isn’t particularly elite in any one aspect, he brings a lot of things to like to the table and should be a high floor player who finds success early in the NFL

Scheme Fit: Scheme versatile outside corner

Pick Projection: Top 25

Grade: 6.51