Transcript: Safety Dane Belton

2022 Fourth Round Draft Pick Safety Dane Belton

April 30, 2022

Q. Give us a scouting report on your game and what are the Giants getting.

DANE BELTON: I would say, one, first off, they are getting a competitor, a guy who loves the game who is going to come in ready to work does and do whatever it takes.

Two, a guy who loves to study the game and try to continue to improve myself. I feel like I pride myself on creating takeaways and understanding how offenses attack and just trying to get in the passing lanes and doing what the defense needs to do. So just a person coming in ready to work.

Q. Can you describe what your role was? Was it a hybrid position?

DANE BELTON: In our base defense, I played a 2-high safety but any time the offense came out in 11 personnel, 10 personnel, basically passing formation, I went down to a nickel what we call cash, and really just a versatile player that has to guard slot receivers and play in the box, blitz off the edge, doing multiple things.

Q. When you were talking to the Giants, did you get the sense that that was something that they liked?

DANE BELTON: Yes, definitely, being able to understand different positions and also being the guy who made the calls a lot of times in the defense and having to do that in the NFL was something I feel like might have intrigued them.

Q. Did you talk to the Giants a lot in the pre-draft process? Did you meet with them or anything?

DANE BELTON: Yes, sir, I did. I met with them quite a few times over Zoom and I took a 30 visit. It was my last visit before the Draft.

Q. What do you remember about the visit? What stood out while you were here talking to the coaches?

DANE BELTON: I really loved it up there and talking to coaches, coaches spoke highly on the new coaching staff coming in. Coaches that had been here from last year and the previous coaching staff talking how the energy has changed. They just love being around here and the players come ready to work, and I feel like the coaches were energetic and love to coach and love the game. So I feel like it was a good environment overall.

Q. What were the last few days like for you? Did you think maybe there was a chance that you would go last night and what's the wait, been like for you?

DANE BELTON: There was a chance I could go last night, just chilling with my family, just being here watching it, I felt like I wasn't necessarily too anxious. I felt like whatever happened, happened. Put my trust in God and honestly I fell to the right place and a good situation a great organization and I'm ready to get to work.

Q. How many visits did you have during pre-draft?

DANE BELTON: So the Giants were the only 30 visit but I visited the Bucs in person, being a local guy and then I had a whole bunch on Zoom.

Q. So did you get a sense that the Giants had this interest in you, that there was a decent chance it might work out this way?

DANE BELTON: Yes, I think so. Coming up the last weekend of visits and interacting with them, I definitely felt that.

Q. I may be wrong, but did you get a chance to play against Wan'Dale Robinson?

DANE BELTON: Yes, I played against him multiple times when he was at Nebraska and also my last game when he was at Kentucky.

Q. What's the scouting report on him?

DANE BELTON: He's a really good player, a shifty guy, gets in and out of breaks, a playmaker. He made a lot of plays against us in the past few years, so a really good football player.