New York Giants fans are well aware that there's at least one bank that's open for business on Sundays. That would be 2023 first-round pick Deonte Banks. And by open, I mean wide receivers are literally wide open when he's covering them.
It's unfortunately not due to a lack of athleticism or size, two things he can't fix. It's the things he can, like his overall lack of effort and care, and internal drive to want to get better, that have been the root cause. The totally not sarcastic silver lining is he's become a good kick returner... so there's that. Nothing like trading up in the first round for your next lockdown cornerback, only to watch it unravel into a glorified specialist.
Well, it turns out, Big Blue Nation isn't the only one seeing the corner's struggles. In Cody Williams' latest three-round mock draft for FanSided, New York addresses the need to bring in a top-tier corner by selecting LSU's Mansoor Delane with the fifth overall pick:
"Mansoor Delane would be CB1 the moment he holds up the jersey next to Roger Goodell, and New York's defense direly needs some help outside of the defensive front."
Mansoor Delane gives Giants a Deonte Banks reset they desperately need
I've been on the Delane Train for a while now. Paulson Adebo didn't look like a CB1 last year. Cor'Dale Flott shared most surprising breakout player of the year alongside fellow apostrophe-in-the-middle-of-their-name wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson, but he's an upcoming free agent. And Banks lost the starting job to both Adebo and Flott.
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So Williams isn't wrong in assuming the former Tiger would instantly become Big Blue's top cornerback. He's not the biggest corner (6-foot, 190 pounds), but he's proven that won't be an issue. In 2025, he allowed zero touchdowns and only a 37 percent completion rate in coverage against SEC competition.
Aside from Delane’s truly elite coverage ability, there are a few other factors working in the background that make this pick even more interesting. For starters, new head coach John Harbaugh is a first-round defensive backs guy. In three of his last four drafts in Baltimore, the Ravens took a DB on Day 1. Pair that with new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson’s extensive background coaching the secondary, and the dots start connecting themselves.
If there were ever an ideal landing spot for the top cover corner in the class, North Jersey circa 2026 might just be it. Delane also gives the Giants a clean out on Banks’ looming fifth-year option. Spending $11.9 million on a player who’s already lost his starting job isn’t a business decision this regime should be eager to make.