Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks among 3 prospects to visit with Steelers
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On a day when the Pittsburgh Steelers brought in three more college prospects for pre-draft visits, they interviewed another top cornerback in addition to two players from N.C. State.
Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks, who could be taken in the first round, visited UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on Tuesday, along with N.C. State safety Tanner Ingle and guard Chandler Zavala.
Banks, a 6-foot, 197-pound junior, had eight pass breakups, one interception and 38 tackles in 12 games in 2022. He rebounded after being limited to two games in 2021 because of an ankle injury.
At the NFL Combine in March, Banks ran the 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds and had a 42-inch vertical jump. His time in the 40 was the third-fastest among cornerbacks tested at the event, and he had the top vertical jump among players at his position.
Banks is the third cornerback to meet with the Steelers on the South Side in the run-up to the April 27-29 draft. Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr. met with the Steelers last week, and Kansas State’s Julius Brents visited Monday.
After the combine’s conclusion, NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah cited Banks as the biggest riser in his list of top 50 prospects, moving him from No. 42 to No. 28 among all prospects.
“Banks has excellent height, bulk and length for the position,” Jeremiah wrote.
Neither Zavala nor Ingle received invitations to the NFL Combine. Ingle, who measures 5-10, 186 pounds, appeared in 56 games at N.C. State in his five years on campus. He had 83 tackles in 2022 after recording 82 the previous year and he finished his career with 311. Last year, Ingle also had eight tackles for loss and two interceptions.
The 6-3, 322-pound Zavala started 12 games at left guard in 2022 after being granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA. He said he had dinner with Steelers representatives before N.C. State’s pro day last month.
A back injury in 2021 that required surgery limited Zavala to seven games. He spent two years at N.C. State after transferring from Division II Fairmont State. He started 21 games at left guard over the 2018-19 seasons, but the school did not play football in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.