The New York Giants are deciding to let CB Adoree’ Jackson play out the final year of his contract, indicating that they might be ready to move on from the veteran player next offseason.
The Giants could have restructured or extended Jackson’s deal this offseason to create salary cap space and lock him in long-term. However, leaving Jackson’s contract untouched indicates that the Giants may be looking to get him off the books as soon as possible. If that’s the case, then New York is going to need to look for Jackson’s long-term replacement rather early in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft.
Draft options for the Giants to replace Adoree’ Jackson
CB Joey Porter Jr, Penn State
Penn State cornerback prospect Joey Porter Jr. is a perfect fit for the New York Giants. At 6-foot-2, 193 pounds, Porter has the ideal size and strength that the Giants value in their cornerbacks.
Porter is viewed as one of the top defensive prospects in this year’s draft class. As a three-year starter for Penn State, Porter exhibited his “surreal length and physicality on the outside,” as described by Kyle Crabbs of The Draft Network.
According to Crabbs, Porter “projects as an impact defender in the NFL.” Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale deploys a press-heavy defense featuring a lot of cover-one and cover-three looks. Porter is a perfect fit for this scheme and, at 22 years old, could be the perfect long-term replacement for Adoree’ Jackson.
CB Deonte Banks, Maryland
Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks could be another target for the Giants in the first round of this year’s draft. Banks “profiles as a big, physical corner who has surprisingly smooth transitions in and out of breaks to match and mirror wide receivers,” according to Keith Sanchez of The Draft Network.
Banks is a superior athlete from the cornerback position. At 6 feet, 190 pounds, Banks ran a blazing-fast 4.35s 40-yard dash at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine. He also boasted next-level explosiveness, recording a 42″ vertical jump and an 11’4″ broad jump.
The Giants will be losing speed on the boundary upon the eventual departure of Adoree’ Jackson. They could look to replicate that speed with Banks. Like Joey Porter Jr, Deonte Banks fits best in a single-high safety defensive scheme similar to the one run by DC Wink Martindale.
Drafting Deonte Banks could give the Giants the talent defending the boundary that they need opposite of Adoree’ Jackson, while also providing them with a long-term replacement option at CB1.
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