The Minnesota Vikings have a major need at the cornerback position and it has been a very popular pick for them in mock drafts. It’s easy to see why as the Vikings only have three cornerbacks on the roster in Cameron Dantzler, Andrew Booth Jr. and Akayleb Evans.
NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah agrees with that sentiment. In his latest mock draft which was released on Tuesday morning, Jeremiah has the Vikings selecting Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks. He had this to say about the Maryland defender.
“Banks has good size, and I think you’ll see his stock rise as the evaluation process unfolds. The cornerback is physical and tough.”
That sounds like a player that Brian Flores will love. His defense requires cornerbacks to be aggressive at the line of scrimmage and thrive in man coverage. Banks has the ability to do both. This is what I wrote about Banks in his scouting report.
“Banks is an impressive cornerback. The first thing that jumps off the page with him is ball skills. Banks attacks the football with aggression and was trusted to cover top receivers in Marvin Harrison Jr. and Rashee Rice.
Banks can play in both man and zone coverage. In man, he stays in phase with the receiver well and doesn’t leave the hip pocket. Works well in trail. In zone, he understands where he is and can click and close fast on the football.”
Getting Flores some pieces to work with will be a priority this offseason and Banks would just be the start.
