In the history of pop culture (and American literature), embattled New York Giants cornerback and former 1st-round pick Deonte Banks might have more in common with American writer Mark Twain than anyone may have thought.
Like Twain, reports of Banks’ death (in the football sense) seem to have been greatly exaggerated.
Somehow or another, Banks is breathing life into what seemed like a DOA NFL career over the course of 1 training camp under new head coach John Harbaugh and new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson.
After being benched and relegated to a return specialist role in 2025, the No. 23 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft seemed destined for another season as a backup in 2026.
Not so fast, my friends. In a plot twist worthy of Twain himself, Banks is surprising people like Tom Sawyer walking into his own funeral.
“There is serious competition for the Giants starting cornerback positions,” Big Blue Film Room wrote on its official X account on Saturday. “Deonte Banks (is) in that mix. Banks ranked 112th out of 114 qualifying cornerbacks last season in PFF grade. But he’s earned rave reviews in camp in Dennard Wilson’s new system.”
The Giants open the preseason on Saturday, August 15, at home against the Minnesota Vikings.
Giants Urged to Trade Deonte Banks Before Camp
On paper at least, the Giants have pretty much cut bait on cornerback on Banks — the biggest signal being they declined the $12.6 million 5th-year option on his contract on May 1.
Before training camp, Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton proposed the best move for the Giants was to trade Banks to a cornerback-needy team, and to do it for whatever they could get back, which might end up being pennies on the dollar with a 2027 Day 3 draft pick.
“The Giants may not be eager to trade a recent first-round pick for a Day 3 selection,” Moton wrote on July 14. “However, Banks is unlikely to regain a starting role in the secondary. Big Blue signed Greg Newsome II and drafted Colton Hood in the second round this year. Last offseason, Banks lost a starting job on the boundary and played a bigger role on special teams. He returned a kick for a touchdown in Week 17 against the Las Vegas Raiders. As the Giants turn the page on his days as a starter, another team may show interest in giving him a second opportunity to compete for a lead position.”
Deonte Banks Seemed Like Can’t-Miss NFL Prospect
Banks, 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, looked like the prototype NFL cornerback coming out of Maryland after he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine.
“Perimeter corner with desired blend of size, strength and athleticism,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in his 2023 pre-draft evaluation. “However, he struggles to play with poise and awareness when his back is to the football. He needs to play with better route anticipation and reactive quickness at the break point, but his eye-popping NFL Scouting Combine testing and scheme versatility should create interest from a wide range of NFL teams. Banks has first-round traits and could become a CB1 if he can play with better discipline when challenged.”
Banks was a full-time starter in his 1st 2 seasons and 1 of the NFL’s worst-graded cornerbacks both years, according to Pro Football Focus, and started just 6 games at cornerback in 2025 after 20 combined starts in 2023 and 2024.
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