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New York Giants NFL Draft: History of the 24th Overall Pick

Stephen Lebitsch offers up a little Giants history on the 24th pick in the NFL draft.

Stephen Lebitsch

New York Giants NFL Draft: History of the 24th Overall Pick
New York Giants NFL Draft: History of the 24th Overall Pick /
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Thursday night, the New York Giants were slated to make their first selection with the 25th overall pick, marking the eighth time in franchise history they held that slot in the opening round. Yet after seeing the draft board begin to fall out of their favor, general manager Joe Schoen jumped on a seven-year trend and pushed the team up a notch to secure one of the most valuable players on the defensive side of the football.

Trading the 25th pick (plus their 160th and 240th overall picks) to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for their 24th selection, the Giants attacked their need for depth in the secondary by selecting cornerback Deonte Banks out of Maryland. It might have been one spot, but New York knew they had to step out of their comfort zone to preserve their goal of closing the talent gap with the rest of the NFC East.

“The way it went down and the way the board fell, we were getting depleted," Schoen said after the pick of Banks. “So it was the right thing to do for us…We had something in place with Jacksonville, and it worked out."

For the past few weeks, the Giants were heavily rumored to be trading up or down in the first round, but the expectation was for them to accept the latter option with their glaring needs not set to fall off the board until round two or later. That wasn’t how things went on Thursday, however, as other teams were quickly swallowing up defensive players in 20 of the 32 initial selections, including three cornerbacks in the top 16 picks.

With their biggest need at offensive line hanging around till the next night, the Giants elected to beef up Wink Martindale’s unit to further compete with the slew of top-tier wide receiver talent in their division. They became the seventh consecutive team to move out of the 25th pick, and it was the first time they moved up in the first round since the 2002 draft when they moved from 15th to 14th to select tight end Jeremy Shockey.

Ranked No. 3 in his position by Pro Football Focus, Banks will look to play alongside Adoree' Jackson as one of Big Blue’s premier ball hawks and contest some of the best-receiving threats in the league. Schoen mentioned the Giants being attracted to the Terps product for his “prototype size, athleticism, and physicality” combined with his experience in several different coverages that will likely be thrown his way in his rookie season.

Beyond that, Banks’ selection adds a valuable asset to the Giants’ history at the 24th pick and the position more broadly. Dating back to the 1936 draft, the 22-year-old is now the seventh player selected by the organization at that spot and the second cornerback since Shaun Williams back in 1998.

He’s also the fourteenth cornerback taken by New York in the past ten years and the first drafted in the first round since DeAndre Baker in 2019.

Along with Williams, Banks now shares company with former Giants’ prospects such as wide receiver Thomas Lewis (1994), running back Rodney Hampton (1990), and defensive tackle Larry Jacobson (1972).

Drafted out of UCLA before the 1998 season, Williams spent all but one year of his NFL career with the Giants and was one of their most durable cornerbacks in that period leading up to his departure for the Carolina Panthers in 2006. His tenure with New York peaked between 2000 and 2003 when he posted three campaigns with at least 90 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble.

Lewis, an Indiana Hoosiers alum, spent four years with the Giants from 1994-1998, accumulating 34 games played with 74 receptions for 1,032 yards and five touchdowns. His best season came in his sophomore year with the team when he played in 13 games and scored 53 receptions for 694 yards and four touchdowns.

Hampton was a first-round pick out of Georgia in 1990 who went on to a Hall of Fame-worthy career with New York, rushing for almost 6,900 yards and 49 touchdowns through the 1997 season.

He earned two Pro Bowl nods in 1992 and 93 and was a Giants Super Bowl XXV title team member over the Buffalo Bills in his rookie campaign. His tenure also included five seasons of over 1,000 yards rushing and 46 touchdowns that helped make the team’s run game one of the most dominant in the mid-90s era.

Standing among a group of memorable and accomplished athletes, Banks has earned the Giants trust to invest some of the extra draft capital and a first-round selection in him. Now, it’s time to earn his spot and bring his talents from the collegiate level into Martindale’s aggressive backfield that looks to continue pressuring opposing offenses to death in 2023.

“Banks was a guy we liked, and we spent a lot of time with, so we’re excited to get him,” said Schoen.

“I don’t think you can ever have enough good corners,” said Giants head coach Brian Daboll. “It’s a passing league, and we have a tough division.”

 

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Stephen Lebitsch
STEPHEN LEBITSCH

“Stephen Lebitsch is a graduate of Fordham University, Class of 2021, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Communications (with a minor in Sports Journalism) and spent three years as a staff writer for The Fordham Ram. With his education and immense passion for the space, he is looking to transfer his knowledge and talents into a career in the sports media industry. Along with his work for the FanNation network and Giants Country, Stephen’s stops include Minute Media and Talking Points Sports.

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