NY Giants draft a true ballhawk safety in Dane Belton
It looks like the NY Giants are indeed bouncing back on Day 3 of the 2022 NFL Draft after a rather weird Day 2. With the No. 114 overall pick, the Giants definitely found a hidden gem with safety Dane Belton out of Iowa.
At 6-1 and 205 lbs, Belton is the true definition of a ballhawk safety. In three years at Iowa, he totaled 112 tackles, one sack, five interceptions, and 10 passes defended. That’s what Belton is all about being a disruptive defensive back ready to cause havoc anytime the football is headed his way.
It’s no secret the Giants’ defensive secondary is in dire need of help since last season, it got torched by opposing quarterbacks at will. Hopefully, with Belton in the mix as someone who can step into a rotational role, it’ll help put a stop to that as early as this upcoming season.
NY Giants get a disruptive safety in Dane Belton
Believe it or not, Belton was such a natural defender, he spent some time at the linebacker position as well to do what he does best. Whether it was tipping passes, getting straight-up interceptions, or being a solid tackler always around the football, there was nothing Belton was afraid to do whenever his number was called.
These are the kinds of players the Giants definitely needed to draft, especially for a defense that needed playmakers of Belton’s caliber. Of course, Belton isn’t perfect or anything as he’ll need to be coached up to the next level to work on his skills as he adjusts to the pro level. The good news is, the talent is there, now it’s just a matter of developing it.
At the end of the day, Belton has a keen defensive eye and it won’t be long before he puts everything together and develops into a solid safety. He has starting material written all over him once he masters his role and who knows, maybe he can be versatile enough to be used on blitz packages to use his defensive abilities to pressure and be a sack specialist against opposing quarterbacks.
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Overall, Day 3 is looking real good for Big Blue so far. It will be interesting to see what else new general manager Joe Schoen does to finish up this year’s draft. He’s already traded to add more draft picks so who knows what else is in store as he does his best to turn the Giants into contenders again in the future.