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Nov 24, 1991; USA; FILE PHOTO; New York Giants linebacker Carl Banks (58) in action against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Tampa Stadium. RVR Photos-Imagn Images

Ex-Giant Teammate Reveals Why Carl Banks is Hall of Fame Worthy

Originally posted on New York Giants on SI
By Patricia Traina | Last updated Nov 2, 2025 10:00 AM ET

From 1986 to 1993, one-time New York Giants cornerback Mark Collins got an up-close look at greatness in the making.

Collins, you see, lined up for the Big Blue defense on the left side, which put him behind outside linebacker Carl Banks, the Giants' first-round pick in the 1984 draft out of Michigan State.

If Collins had a say in the upcoming Pro Football Hall of Fame voting, Banks’ bust would be right there along with those of the Giants' greats from the 1980s teams, like head coach Bill Parcells, outside linebacker Lawrence Taylor, and inside linebacker Harry Carson.

"I would say ‘complete,’” Collins told New York Giants On SI when asked to summarize Banks’ 12-year career, nine of which were spent with the Giants.

“He was not one-dimensional. Carl could stop the run. He could drive back on the pass. He was so effective that you very rarely saw big runs going to the defensive left side where he played.”

That wasn’t all Banks brought to the gridiron. The former Spartan was very effective in coverage situations as well.

“We would have the game in hand, and teams would have to throw the ball. We would line Carl on the receiver on the outside to get a jam,” Collins said.

“And I'm playing behind Carl, you know, 10, 12 yards deep. And Carl would go line up on a receiver and jam him. Nobody got behind him.”

Manny Rubio-Imagn Images

Banks, in fact, might have been the main marquee star on the Giants' defense during his time, were it not for the presence of Taylor.

“Lawrence was a more dominant pass rusher than Carl–that's the biggest difference between the two,” Collins said.

“The tenacity's the same. I'm not saying Carl is a lesser player — they're totally two different players.

“Lawrence was dominant in rushing the passer, and he would put fear in your heart when he’d come off the edge, when he dipped that shoulder and attacked the edge.

“But Carl was complete–he could stop the run, rush the passer, line up on receivers, jam block, jam tight ends before they’d go up the seam. He was very, very good at all of those.

“And if there’s one thing Carl doesn’t get enough credit for, it’s his total knowledge of the game,” Collins added.

“He knows the game better than a lot of people, and not just his position, which of course you're supposed to know. He knew what other people were supposed to do, too.”

For those still not convinced of Banks’ greatness, Collins said there were several games in which Taylor was not available and Banks, through his consistent high effort, made sure that the defense didn’t suffer any drop-offs.

“The 1988 season, we opened against Washington, and Lawrence wasn't there because he had been suspended,” Collins recalled.

“It's not that Carl had to step up his game–Carl always played that way. It's just that, since Lawrence wasn't there, Carl finally got the recognition he deserved.”

Despite the greatness Banks, who these days has a very successful career as the president/founder of G-III Sports by Carl Banks, showed on the field, if there’s one thing that is likely working against Banks’ Hall of Fame candidacy, it’s his lack of career accolades outside of Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors in 1987.

But even though he never led the league in any statistical categories, Banks' consistently solid play was more than good enough for him to earn a spot on the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s All-Decade Team of the 1980s for all the things he did that didn't necessarily show up in the weekly box score.

Collins emphasized that Banks’ career numbers–860 tackles, 39.5 sacks, three interceptions (one for a touchdown), and 16 forced fumbles in 173 regular-season games played–should not be the sole basis for determining his worthiness for pro football immortalization.

“I don’t know what the voters look for, but I know I do know this. You will not find a complete player who was more deserving of being in the Hall of Fame other than Carl Banks,” Collins said of the man voted as the 17th greatest Giants player in its 100-year history and who is also part of the team's Ring of Honor.

“There were no weaknesses in his game. None.”