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Former New York Giants First-Round Pick Could Be Primed for Breakout Year
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- Former New York Giants First-Round Pick Could Be Primed for Breakout Year
The New York Giants have taken a lot of swings in the NFL Draft since Joe Schoen became general manager in 2022. In fact, the Giants have made eight first-round picks in the past five draft periods. Six of them have come in the top-ten picks. Only two have been outside of the top 23 selections.
Of course, not all of those selections have panned out, while others have been nearly immediate hits. But sometimes good things take time, and this could be one of those cases.
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'There's Still Hope' for New York Giants ' 2023 First-Round Pick
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The full list of Giants first-round draft picks since 2022 is as follows:
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Arvell Reese – No. 5 pick – 2026
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Francis Mauigoa – No. 10 pick – 2026
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Abdul Carter – No. 3 pick – 2025
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Jaxson Dart – No. 25 pick – 2025
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Malik Nabers – No. 6 pick – 2024
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Deonte Banks – No. 24 pick – 2023
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Kayvon Thibodeaux – No. 5 pick – 2022
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Evan Neal – No. 7 pick – 2022
As the 2026 season approaches, it marks an important year for the 2023 draft class, as they're now headed into a contract year. That is, unless their teams have picked up the fifth-year contract option available on first-round rookie contracts or otherwise worked out an extension.
Meanwhile, the Giants have done neither with cornerback Deonte Banks. Yet, there's reason to believe the 25-year-old Baltimore native is primed for a breakout year under coach John Harbaugh.
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Recently, Sports Illustrated 's Albert Breer suggested that there may still be hope for the former first-round pick. Now that Banks gets to play in a defense led by coordinator Dennard Wilson, a disciple of Don "Wink" Martindale, the belief is that the young defensive back can get back on track after starting 15 games as a rookie under Wink.
"The Giants predictably declined Banks's fifth-year option for 2027, turning this into a contract year. And the fourth-year pro has responded with a nice spring, flashing confidence that seemed to have left him, and may be a product of going back to a system, run by John Harbaugh's new DC Dennard Wilson, that's like Martindale's. If Banks is going to start, he'll have to earn it. But so far, so good for the 25-year-old."
As Breer later noted, the Giants are already committed to Paulson Adebo , their $54 million signing from 2025, at one starting spot. The other may come down to former first-round pick Greg Newsome II , second-round rookie Colton Hood, and Banks for the other. Still, for Banks to even be mentioned in the competition is an improvement upon last season, when he started just six of his 16 appearances.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Banks landed on the Giants' radar for a reason. They haven't given up on him since, and 2026 could be the year when he truly starts to live up to his draft slot.
Related: 4 New York Giants Who Can Have Breakout Seasons In 2026
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