Deonte Banks has been one of the best stories of the New York Giants' surprising 5-2-1 start.
The former first-round pick went from looking like a lost cause to playing like a real starting cornerback, complete with a game-sealing 98-yard pick-six against the Arizona Cardinals and 10 passes defended through six games.
And after everything Banks went through over the past two seasons, he's earned every bit of the praise coming his way this year. Defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson has seemingly brought the 25-year-old back from the dead, and all of a sudden, declining his fifth-year option isn't looking like the slam-dunk decision it was months ago.
But while everyone's busy celebrating Banks' redemption tour, there's another Giants cornerback quietly putting together an even more impressive season. And the numbers suggest Dru Phillips deserves more attention than he's getting.
Dru Phillips is quietly becoming one of Giants' key defensive players
A fascinating chart from Doug Analytics compares how often corners are targeted with their catch rate over expected. Essentially, it shows who's getting picked on and who's making QBs regret throwing their way.
And if you look at where Phillips lands compared to Banks, it's pretty eye-opening.
See that Giants logo near the top-right corner? That's Phillips, casually hanging out with some of the best cover corners in football.
The third-year slot corner has been targeted on approximately 14.2% of his coverage snaps, with a ridiculous minus-14% catch rate over expected. Only four qualifying corners on the chart have been better in the latter category.
Banks, meanwhile, sits further left at roughly a 19.2% target rate and a minus-2% catch rate over expected, meaning he's getting tested considerably more often. For perspective, Phillips is outperforming Derek Stingley Jr., Denzel Ward, Patrick Surtain II, and Sauce Gardner in that metric. Pretty ridonkulous company for a guy who spent much of 2025 getting worked.
And he's doing it from the slot, where receivers have more space to operate and defenders don't have the sideline to help them. Phillips has allowed just 14 receptions through eight games, while adding 28 tackles (two for loss). He was especially disruptive against the Commanders in Week 5, recording two sacks and four QB hits.
Greg Newsome II is also on the chart, albeit on the wrong side. The newly extended defensive back sits at approximately a 13.8% target rate and plus-5% catch rate over expected. He's been targeted less, but opponents are completing passes against him more often than expected.
Wilson deserves a ton of credit for turning this once-infuriating cornerback room around. Banks is finally playing up to his draft pedigree. As another former first-rounder, Newsome is too (sometimes). And Phillips is a relatively surprising reason why Big Blue's secondary isn't a joke anymore.
Banks is earning his redemption tour. Phillips is earning a little more respect.
Add us as a preferred source on Google