The 2023 NFL draft class hasn’t even hit the field yet but that hasn’t stopped draft experts from rehashing the results.
In a piece in Bleacher Report, Matt Holder re-drafts the class using the little information we have learned over the past two months.
The New York Giants selected Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks with the 24th overall pick after trading up one spot with Jacksonville.
In this exercise, Holder has the Giants standing pat and taking Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr., who was taken 32nd overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers in April.
They ended up taking Maryland’s Deonte Banks who hasn’t been bad per se, but Jordan Raanan of ESPN noted that Banks “had his ups and downs this spring.” Raanan also reported that defensive coordinator Wink Martindale highlighted the former Terripan’s short memory as a strength which isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement.
Meanwhile, former Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. has been getting some love from his future Hall of Fame teammate Patrick Peterson, as the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat’s Amanda Godsey asked Peterson about the rookie’s development:
“I just want to continue helping him in as many ways that I can, because he has all the intangibles to be better than me,” Peterson repsonded. “I know most greats or most guys won’t say that, but that’s just the type of guy I am. I want to pass on the game and leave it in good hands as it will be such as Joey Porter and [Cory] Trice will continue to do their thing.”
Banks falls out of the first round in this re-draft, which has us thinking if the Giants overestimated him. If Holder is right, the Giants should have a) not traded up to take Banks in Round 1 and/or b) not taken Banks at all.
Time will tell. The Giants love Banks’ ability to neutralize wide receivers with his physical style. Porter has a ton of upside as well so this could be a matter of preference.
Since the 32nd pick was the first selection in Round 2, so we don’t know if Pittsburgh takes Banks with that pick.
