You never know how the NFL draft could unfold. The Buffalo Bills decided to remind us of that before it even starts.
Cornerback is not on the mind of many in Buffalo regarding the 2023 draft. That’s because the Bills selected one, Kaiir Elam, with their first-round selection at last year’s event.
Still, the team is doing their due diligence on one of the top corners in the 2023 class. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Maryland’s Deonte Banks had a pre-draft meeting in Buffalo.
The Bills are only allocated a certain amount of visits with prospects prior to the draft. Doing so with Banks signals there could be some actual interest there, despite the Elam factor.
Still, it’s hard to image Banks being on Buffalo’s radar with the first-round pick at No. 27 overall. Banks is slated to be a late first or early second-round selection.
But if he falls or the team decides to trade back? More likely.
A physical corner, Banks has a solid frame at six-feet tall and can play in a variety of defensive schemes. At the combine, Banks turned heads. NFL Next Gen Stats graded Banks as the cornerback with the highest athleticism score there. Included in that was a 4.35 second 40-yard dash.
In four seasons with Maryland, Banks made 83 tackles, half a sack, two interceptions, and defended 11 passes in 28 games.
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