Jaguars Draft: Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks
The Jacksonville Jaguars have a huge need that could easily be fixed for cheap this offseason
The Jacksonville Jaguars are now trying to build on their first playoff appearance since 2017 when they went to the AFC Championship. But now they can't rely on free agency, kind of like they did last season. It's time to start developing through the draft.
"The last two years, we’ve delved heavily into free agency, and we’re at the point now where it’s draft and develop. We’ve got a nice core, a nice core of young players," general manager Trent Baalke said during the combine. "I feel really good about that group, with a good mix of veteran guys with a lot of experience. The whole thing for us now is about the locker room, making sure we keep the locker room where we’ve got it.”
Luckily for them, this is a draft full of the things they need the most. One of their biggest needs is cornerback, where they struggled a bit last season. Shaquill Griffin wasn't the best last year, and the Jaguars ended up letting him go to create more cap space.
Now they need to go and draft a guy, or several guys, that can produce more than he was next to Tyson Campbell and Darius Williams. Luckily for the Jaguars, if he is available, they can snag a guy at pick 24 who looks like he can produce more than what Griffin did last season.
That guy is Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks. Here is what Pro Football Focus thinks of Banks:
Banks is sticky without needing to use his size. That’s a rarity for a 200-plus-pound corner. And it’s scary to think what he could become once he learns to use that size advantage consistently. Banks has the athletic skill set and tackling ability to wear many hats in a defense. His best role may even be a L’Jarius Sneed-esque “big slot” at the next level. Whether it’s stopping his feet, getting overly anxious, or being too comfortable with space between him and the receiver, Banks has a good deal to be cleaned up in his press technique.
If you watched the cornerbacks during the combine, you likely saw that Banks' numbers were off the charts. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Banks finished number one on the athleticism score of all cornerbacks with a 98.
Banks ran a 4.35 40 yards dash and had a 42-inch vertical. Banks also allowed just 258 receiving yards on 60 targets last season for Maryland. He was locking it down on the outside and could do that for the Jaguars in 2023 if available at 24.
You can read the rest of the PFF report on Banks here.
Featured Image Via Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
