Deonte Banks, New York Giants
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Deonte Banks #2 of the New York Giants warms up prior to a game against the Green Bay Packers at MetLife Stadium.
The New York Giants are in a fairly enviable position heading into the 2026 NFL Draft. They did a good job supplementing their roster in free agency, and don’t need to force themselves into taking a player with the No. 5 pick.
New York can let the chips fall as they may in front of them, and wait and see which blue-chip talent comes to them in April.
Or, they could take a page out of John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens‘ playbook and attempt to move back a few spots to recoup extra draft capital.
If the Giants feel like they can get some value out of the No. 5 pick, they absolutely should, and ESPN’s Bill Barnwell laid out the perfect blueprint to give them the best return.
Giants Trade Down With Saints, Dumping Deonte Banks
Barnwell proposed a deal that sees the New York Giants moving down a handful of spots with the New Orleans Saints, acquiring a third-round pick and moving on from recent first-round pick Deonte Banks in the process.
New York Giants receive: No. 8 overall, No. 73 overall, No. 172 overall
New Orleans Saints receive: No. 5 overall
“The Giants could be in the mix for Love or Tate, but their ideal addition would be Styles, who should still be available at No. 8,” wrote Barnwell.
“They traded away their 2026 third-round pick as part of the move up for Jaxson Dart a year ago, and while Love would be their long-term replacement for Saquon Barkley, getting that third-round pick back might not cost the Giants very much given their potential range of non-Love additions in Round 1.”
With this trade, New York not only replenishes their missing third-round pick but also clears $4.3 million off their books by getting out from under the final year of Banks’ contract.
It may not seem like a lot, but the cash-strapped Giants could use it. According to Over the Cap, they’re sitting just under $6.5 million, which wouldn’t be enough to sign their incoming draft class.
At No. 8, New York should still have their pick of the litter between either wide receivers Makai Lemon or Jordyn Tyson, or a Buckeye defender in Sonny Styles or Caleb Downs.
Would the Saints Make the Deal?
As it goes for almost any trade in the NFL, it takes two to tango, and the New Orleans Saints would need to be in love with one of these prospects to trade up with the New York Giants.
Barnwell points out that the Saints could be interested in adding Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate, pairing him up with another Buckeye in Chris Olave.
“Mickey Loomis and the Saints, of course, are never shy about moving up if there’s a player who fits their roster,” continued Barnwell.
“They would likely need to leap the Browns and Commanders to jump the queue for Tate, who would slot in alongside Chris Olave and Devaughn Vele as the starting wide receivers for Tyler Shough.”
New Orleans also adds a former first-round pick in Banks, who is in desperate need of a change of scenery. His career has not gotten off the ground after three years in New York.
Maybe the Saints coaching staff can get a little bit more out of the former Maryland standout.