Former New York Giants cornerback Eli Apple was released by the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. It is possibe that will be the end of the NFL line for Apple, who has played just six games the past two seasons.
That, in and of itself, is probably only a mild curiosity for Giants fans. After all, it’s been about seven years since the former first round pick played for the Giants, and many Giants fans likely forgot Apple was even in the NFL. The Giants traded Apple to the New Orleans Saints after five
games in 2018, and he has since played for the Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Chargers, and then the 49ers.
It remains to be seen if this is where Apple’s story in the NFL ends, but it still serves as a cautionary tale for the Giants and their 2023 first-round pick, Deonte Banks.
There are a somewhat uncomfortable number of parallels between Banks and Apple.
Both are former first-round picks who were heralded for an elite blend of size and athleticism coming out of college. Both flashed the potential to be good, perhaps even great, press man coverage specialists early in their careers. And both regressed over the following years as questions mounted.
Some in the Giants’ fandom and media are ready to move on from Banks as well, tossing him in the dustbin of history as yet another bust.
That said, Apple and Banks are two different men and their paths can absolutely diverge.
As of this writing, Banks remains on the Giants, and was recently moved into the “lock” category to make the roster in Ed’s recent 53-man roster forecast. And at the very least, Banks may have secured his continued roster spot by emerging as a great kick returner.
If that’s all he’s able to be, it’s a disappointing outcome for a former first-round cornerback, but still a useful piece for the Giants. The new kick-off rules are confusing and frustrating, but they do accomplish the goal of making the play matter in a way it didn’t until recently. A great kick returner can change the complexion of a game, and the Giants would certainly enjoy having their own Devin Hester.
That said, if the Giants and Banks want to avoid his career path mirroring Apple’s, it falls to Addison Lynch and Dennard Wilson to help him realize his potential.
And so far there has been more than, perhaps, a glimmer of hope over the course of spring and summer practices. Banks started out as a second team corner, but has worked his way into meaningful snaps with the starters. In fact, Banks has reportedly looked good enough in his opportunities that he’s counted among the pleasant surprises in the first week of camp.
He has, reportedly, been sticky in coverage and has gotten his hands on passes – though he still struggles to haul them in for interceptions. Witness the bad drop Banks had on Monday.
Athletic ability has never been a question for Banks, rather he’s struggled with consistency.
“We tried to show him that his consistency was his deal,” defensive backs coach Addison Lynch said of Banks earlier in the off-season. “He just wasn’t consistent getting lined up fast, wasn’t consistent with his feet. He’s improved his consistency, so now his play is improved, now his confidence is up and he can just roll into the season.”
For his part, Dennard Wilson (likely) wants to run a defense that uses man-match coverage, an aggressive variation of Cover 4 that uses post-snap coverage rules to transform a zone defense into a physical man coverage scheme. It’s a versatile scheme that deals with modern offenses well and is used by many defensive minds in the “Ravens 2.0” school. It would also play to Banks’ strengths in man coverage, but the versatile nature stresses defenders’ processing.
That’s been an issue for Banks over the last two years under Shane Bowen, but Lynch may have reached Banks in a way that coaches were never able to with Apple.
“I love how he’s handling it,” Lynch said. “Right now, he’s being an absolute pro. He’s doing the extra work, he’s in his book, he’s doing everything we ask him. He’s making plays on the ball and he’s doing a really good job handling himself play in and play out. He’s made major improvements that when he’s tired, he relies on his technique and he’s getting more technically sound, so everything with him is trending in the right direction.”
Ultimately, while some may be done with Banks or believe he’s soon to be another former Giant, the Giants themselves should want him to blossom under Wilson and Lynch. He has rare athletic traits and if teams want to build through the draft, they need to develop the players they draft. Apple was never able to realize his potential with the Giants (or anyone else, for that matter), but that doesn’t mean Banks has to follow the same path.
There’s still time for him to become the player the Giants hoped they were getting in 2023.
