Tag: Deonte Banks

ESPN’s Mel Kiper predicts Jaguars take CB in 1st mock draft

The godfather of mock drafts offered his first prediction of what the Jaguars will do in April.

It’s officially mock draft season for the Jacksonville Jaguars and the godfather of NFL Draft predictions took his first stab at it.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. released his first mock draft of the offseason and thinks the Jaguars could use a little help in the secondary. With the 24th overall pick, Kiper thinks Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks is a logical choice:

How about those Jaguars? After an AFC South title in 2022, shouldn’t they be the early favorites to win it again? General manager Trent Baalke did a nice job filling holes last offseason, but the pass rush still was mediocre, the off-ball linebackers struggled badly in coverage and there’s an open corner spot opposite Tyson Campbell. With a strong cornerback class in this draft, Baalke & Co. could target Banks, a man-coverage defender with exceptional physical tools. He could rise as we get closer to the draft once NFL teams see him test at the combine. And yes, this makes five cornerbacks off the board in Round 1.

Another position to keep an eye on for Jacksonville is tight end, where Evan Engram is a free agent. Luke Musgrave (Oregon State) and Dalton Kincaid (Utah) could be options.

The Jaguars began the season with Tyson Campbell and Shaquill Griffin at cornerback, but the latter suffered a season-ending back injury. After struggling to find consistent play opposite Campbell, the Jaguars eventually moved Darious Williams from the slot and found success with the former Rams cornerback playing on the outside.

Williams could be the starter again in 2023, but the Jaguars need help at cornerback, regardless. Tre Herndon is set to become a free agent and Griffin is likely to get released due to his $17.1 million salary cap hit.

Banks was the fifth cornerback off the board in Kiper’s mock behind Illinois’ Devon Witherspoon, Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr., Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez, and Mississippi State’s Emmanuel Forbes.

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler sends Vikings a CB in his 2023 NFL mock draft

The ninth different player who can play corner has been mocked to the Vikings

Cornerback has been an incredibly popular selection for the Minnesota Vikings in mock drafts. In fact, of the 23 players that have been sent to them, six of them are cornerbacks and two others can play in the slot.

Whenever The Athletic’s Dane Brugler puts out a mock draft, it’s worth paying attention to and he usually has some really good nuggets in there. The latest one is who he sent to the Vikings in Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks.

“Between now and the draft, I’m sure we will hear plenty of quarterback talk surrounding the Vikings. But they also need help on defense, obviously, including in the secondary. A cover-and-clobber corner, Deonte Banks has rangy speed and ball skills. Several NFL teams have second-round grades on the Maryland corner, but others believe he can crack the first round.”

A relatively quiet name in NFL draft circles, people take notice when someone with the respect of Brugler comes out and says that they are worth a first-round pick.