Draft Profile: Deonte Banks
Position: CB - Age: 23 - School: Maryland
Athletic Profile
Height: 6001
Weight: 197
Arm Length: 31 3/8”
40 Time: 4.35
Vertical: 42”
Broad Jump: 1104
3-Cone: N/A
Relative Athletic Score: 10.00
* Indicates Recorded At Pro Day
Statistics
2022: 29 TKL (2.8 MIS%) - 7 STOP - 60 TGT - 9.9 Y/REC - 4 TD - 1 INT - 8 PBU - 71.4 NFL - 8 PEN
2021: 4 TKL (0 MIS%) - 1 STOP - 4 TGT - 12.5 Y/REC - 0 TD - 0 INT - 0 PBU - 69.8 NFL - 0 PEN
Snap Count:
DL: 28
BOX: 71
FS: 6
SLOT: 63
CB: 1,321
Pros
Athleticism
Zone/Man Versatility
Football IQ
Physicality in Press
Tackling
Cons
Ball Production
Inconsistent Technique
Injury History
Tendency to Grab
Summary
Deonte Banks committed to Maryland in 2019 as a three star recruit from the state of Maryland. He was an immediate impact player starting a majority of games in 2019, 2020 and 2022. His 2021 season was cut short early by a shoulder injury suffered in Week 2.
Banks is an athletic corner with a tremendous amount of upside. He loves to get up on the line of scrimmage and play press coverage. Banks athletic ability and recovery speed allows him to be extremely aggressive at the snap. He has patient feet and the fluidity in his hips to turn and run. Banks is competent in both press and off coverage. In the latter he displays excellent first step quickness and is able to sink his hips and explode out of breaks with ease. The same movement skills make him a strong zone corner as well. Banks shows excellent spatial awareness and does a nice job of finding free runners in his zone. An experienced player, Banks displays strong communication skills on the back end. He is also a willing and capable run defender. While not the most physical in run defense he plays with excellent leverage and takes the correct pursuit angles. Banks is also an dependable tackler in the open field (2.8% Missed Tackle Rate in 2022).
The biggest red flag on Banks' scouting report is his lack of ball production. He only accrued two interceptions in four years of playing but the underlying numbers (8 PBUs in 2022) indicate there is room for positive regression there. Banks also has to improve his technique in coverage. Too often is his footwork inconsistent in space and forces him to use his superior athleticism to recover, something that will work far less at the next level. He also has a poor habit of being over aggressive at the top of his routes. Banks loves to get hands on his assignments but he tends to linger too long and it results in too many infractions.
Banks currently stands at the top of Tier 2 in this loaded CB class. He has the physical upside and versatility to be the CB1 when looking back at this class in 5-10 years. Questions around his injury history and ball production limit his ability to jump into the Top 10 but he should be a first round lock. Deonte Banks projects as an immediate impact player at the next level that is scheme and alignment versatile. Given his elite athleticism and coverage ability he is one of the highest ceiling DBs in this class.
Grade: 6.73 - Mid to Late First Round (Immediate Starter)
Games Watched: Michigan (2022), Michigan State (2022), SMU (2022)