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John Harbaugh called out Deonte Banks after the New York Giants drafted CB Colton Hood.
John Harbaugh quickly put the focus on struggling former first-round pick Deonte Banks, after the New York Giants got a steal when they took Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood with 37th pick in the second round of the 2026 NFL draft.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, April 24, Harbaugh was blunt about 2023 first-rounder Banks, per Dan Duggan of The Athletic. The head coach admitted “Banks. hasn’t played that great. He’d tell you that. But is he capable of playing a lot better? I think he is.”
Those words are a direct challenge to Banks, whose career has been blighted by accusations of a lack of effort and inconsistencies that left one high-profile former teammate close to chocking the underachieving defensive back.
Banks must heed Harbaugh’s implicit challenge because Duggan also reported general manager Joe Schoen said they’re going to talk about that decision next week. “That” being whether or not to pick up Banks’ fifth-year option by the May 1 deadline.
This article will be updated…
James Dudko covers the New York Giants, Washington Commanders, New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens for Heavy.com. He has covered the NFL and world soccer since 2011, with bylines at FanSided, Prime Time Sports Talk and Bleacher Report before joining Heavy in 2021. More about James Dudko