NFL Draft prospect profile: Maryland CB Deonte Banks

Hometown kid Banks attended Edgewood High School (MD), about an hour north of the University of Maryland. He was a three-star athlete that -- despite some impressive play-making ability -- struggled to attract much attention on the recruiting circuit. He did not receive his first collegiate offer until just after his junior season, when he received interest from a number of Division II and FCS schools

Banks eventually attracted the attention of a couple of Group of 5 schools like Buffalo and Kent State, but just before the start of his senior season, Banks got the dream offer from his home-state school of Maryland. He committed two weeks later.

Banks worked as an earlier contributor for the Terrapins, making 28 tackles and tallying one interception and two passes defensed while starting eight of 11 games as a freshman. While he returned as a starter in 2020, he was only able to make three starts in five games due to the COVID-truncated schedule. His junior season was cut short, as well, when he suffered a season-ending shoulder surgery in just his second start of the season.

Coming back from the long-term injury, Banks shined in his return to the field as a redshirt junior, when he recorded career highs in total tackles (38) and passes defensed (9) while adding an interception, half-of-a-sack and half-of-a-tackle for a loss. He had perhaps his strongest game under the brightest lights, limiting Ohio State’s star receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. to five catches for 68 yards and no touchdowns. In that game, Banks tallied two pass breakups and blocked an extra point that was returned by a teammate for a defensive two-point conversion.

There are a couple parts of his game that could cause him to struggle in the NFL. A lack of production is not uncommon in college football, where the easiest way to avoid turnovers is to steer clear of the opponent's top corner, but even taking that into account, Banks only recorded two interceptions during his four years in College Park. He’s not too far behind the draft’s top corners in that regard, though. Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez only had four interceptions during his time in Eugene, with all of them coming this season. Devon Witherspoon out of Illinois has five interceptions even though he had posted none in two of his four collegiate seasons. Joey Porter Jr. at Penn State had even fewer than Banks, recording only one interception in four years.

Beyong the numbers, Banks is physical, which defensive coaches love, until they don’t. If he draws too much attention at the NFL-level with his aggression on defense, he could be the target of quite a few penalties in the pros.

On the positive side, though, Banks boasts an ideal frame, matching size, strength, and speed. He uses his aggression to perfection to slow receivers off the line of scrimmage before his quick hips and smooth footwork kick in as he offers a relentless tail for opposing wideouts.

Banks could do a better job of reading between the quarterback and receiver -- he usually focuses only on the receiver -- but he reads the receiver with impressive consistency and does a good job playing through their hands. He utilizes his aggression just as successfully on run plays and special teams and has the relentless motor needed for both.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly which team may end up selecting Banks. The Steelers would love a young Day 1 starter opposite Patrick Peterson. The Giants need someone to hold down the other side opposite Adoree’ Jackson. The Vikings are short on big names at the position, as well. I imagine Banks would love nothing more than to play for the nearby Ravens, who need someone opposite Marlon Humphrey (with Marcus Peters) still on the free agent market.

All four of the above-mentioned teams, and an impressive 11 more, have met with the 22-year-old cornerback. It seems the biggest indicator for when he will be picked come the NFL Draft is going to be when the cornerbacks ranked above him get drafted. If Gonzalez and Witherspoon are selected relatively early, the teams in the late 20’s likely won’t see Banks on the board. But if the draft is slow to cornerbacks, Banks could find himself in a pivotal role for a playoff contender.