The New York Giants took Iowa safety Dane Belton with the 114th selection in this year’s NFL draft, and he’s ready to embark on his first professional training camp this summer.
The Tampa, Florida, native is still very green when it comes to the Northeast, especially with the cuisine of the New York Metro Area such as bagels and pizza.
“I have not,” Belton told Hawkeye Report when asked if he checked out any of the local pizza or bagel eateries. “Right now, I’m basically eating facility food, so hopefully when I have a couple of days off and go up to New York, I’ll be able to venture out.”
The Giants drafted Belton with hopes that he can become a key cog in coordinator Wink Martindale’s defense this year and beyond.
At 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, Belton played both safety and ‘hybrid’ linebacker at Iowa and the Giants could thrust him into a similar role when he gets to camp next month.
At rookie minicamp, Belton got a test of what was to come.
“In college I played that star role as well as safety,” Belton said. “Right now, I’m just working on learning both safeties and being able to be versatile, that’s the biggest thing for me.
“Being able to play multiple positions in college, translates to blitzing off the edge, covering deep and match routes underneath. Just shows the versatile aspect to myself. And right now, I’m just learning safety, but once I feel I’ve got this down, hopefully they’ll be able to move me around.”
That’s the plan.
