Deonte Banks CB Maryland: Scouting Report

Height: 6’0

Weight: 197

Overall

Deonte Banks is a quick, athletic corner in Maryland's man heavy defense.In his 4 collegiate seasons he played in 30 games, starting 25 of them. He suffered a season ending shoulder injury during his junior year but that did not seem to affect him on his senior film. He is a very good athlete and plays with the footwork and technique to match up with any receiver down the field.

Pass Game

Banks played in a lot of press man in college and showed excellent footwork and technique on film. He does a good job of getting in the receivers hip pocket and squeezing them to the sideline making it very difficult for the quarterback to fit the ball into those tight windows.He has a very high football IQ and you can see him constantly communicating in zone coverage on film. His excellent speed allows him to recover down the field if the receiver has a step on him. He is very fluid and makes very good breaks on the ball but he struggles with his change of direction when playing in the slot. He has good ball skills but had little production during his college career. He needs to be more physical at the catch point. With his lack of length it is difficult for him to get his hands in front of the receivers to break up passes so he will need to rely on his physicality more in the pros.

Run Game

In the run game, Banks is a sufficient tackler but he has a lack of urgency and intent when making his tackles. His lack of size may make it difficult for him to make a consistent impact against the run in the NFL and he needs to improve his physicality moving forward.

Last Word

Banks played a lot of man coverage in college but has the athleticism and football IQ to play in either a man or zone scheme. With his struggles in the slot, he projects best as a number 2 boundary corner to begin his career with the intangibles to grow into a number 1 corner later in his career. His versatility will be very valuable at the next level and if he continues to develop his physicality he can excel on special teams as well.

One-Liner: Deonte Banks is an excellent athlete with great technique on the outside but he needs to be more physical at the catch point to make up for his lack of size and length before he can become a dominant number 1 corner. 

Grade: 6.8 (Solid Starter on All 3 Downs)

Games Watched: 2022 - Ohio State, Michigan, Purdue

Team Fits: Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs