When the New York Giants traded up to select Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks in Round 1 of the 2023 NFL draft, defensive coordinator Wink Martindale was visibly excited.
MOOOOOOOOOOOD pic.twitter.com/bupcKPC39i
— New York Giants (@Giants) April 28, 2023
“You guys know Wink’s defense and what he likes, and Deonte fits that mold ‘to a T.’ He was ecstatic,” general manager Joe Schoen said after Day 1 of the draft.
Martindale couldn’t contain his elation when Banks finally walked through the doors in East Rutherford.
“Then I thought you were going to Baltimore. Thank god they signed Lamar. Had to get him some weapons.”
Wink is the best.
(Good stuff from the @Giants in-house video team here: https://t.co/23mqipXjxN.) pic.twitter.com/HxJBCubFDz
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) May 18, 2023
During a recent appearance on the Giants Huddle: Front Office Edition podcast, Martindale doubled and tripled down on his excitement over having Banks join his defense.
“I just think he’s everything you want in a corner,” Martindale said. “Starting off with he’s tough and he can tackle. He likes to play press coverage, and he likes to be on the island out there. He loves the challenge of it. You can see he’s that way here. A very humble kid from Baltimore, and matter of fact, I went down to a football camp that Jameel McClain put on. Jameel played here and played for us in Baltimore as well. He was at that camp as a camper when he was a freshman in high school, and it was pretty cool.”
For Martindale and other defensive coaches, the pressure is now on them to prepare Banks for life as a professional. That means working on his development, strength and IQ.
“I think that the biggest thing is strip their game completely down,” Martindale said of developing Banks. “I think he’s got the best secondary coach in the league with Jerome Henderson, and he does a great job with that. I’m talking about starting from stance, initial footwork, start techniques, and fundamentals. He’s done a nice job of just jumping in there. Right now, they don’t have any bad habits when you start that way — and I’m sure you’ll see some — but the thing I like about him is just his energy and how he wants to compete.”
Banks appears to be a very coachable player who is anxious to learn from his coaches and teammates, and that humble attitude should shorten his developmental curve. And that’s a good thing for the Giants because the rookie will be starting on Day 1.
