Pro Football Focus named rookie New York Giants safety, Dane Belton, as the team’s biggest gem from the 2022 NFL draft.
Here’s what PFF had to say and how Belton will impact other players, including Julian Love:
The Value: The nickel safety position is a more coveted role in today’s pass-happy NFL. Getting such an impactful talent in Belton during the middle rounds is a valuable asset for Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale.
The Player: Belton starred in his final college season at Iowa with the highest PFF coverage grade of his career (82.3). Playing as Iowa’s “cash” defender, Belton thrived as a slot safety, allowing a 66.0 passer rating across 315 coverage snaps. He packs a powerful punch at 6-foot-1 and has shown an ability to thrive in a zone coverage slot role when given the opportunity (89.4 zone coverage grade in 2021).
The Roster Impact: Julian Love, a fourth-rounder in 2019, hasn’t been an ideal starting safety for the Giants. He allowed a troubling 108.7 passer rating in slot coverage in 2021, and his overall coverage grade hasn’t topped 60.0 in the two seasons since his rookie campaign. Belton being able to earn his stripes during training camp will go a long way toward him winning the slot safety job in 2022.
The Giants selected Belton with the 114th overall pick in this year’s draft as Bug Blue was desperate to get some help at the safety position. After losing Logan Ryan and Jabrill Peppers this offseason, the Giants were left with Xavier McKinney and Julian Love as the only safeties on the roster.
This is where Belton comes into play. The Giants will need to have depth behind these two starters and hopefully someone to challenge Love as he has been a below-average pass defender.
While it was in college, Belton allowed only a 66.0 passer rating in 315 coverage snaps from the slot. He also posted a PFF coverage grade of 82.3 in 2021 and a PFF zone coverage grade of 89.4 last season.
This is stellar production from a fourth-round pick and Belton’s amazing performance in 2021 also showed in the stat sheet. The Iowa alum recorded five interceptions and demonstrated his ability to come downhill and tackle while also posting 46 tackles in his last collegiate season.
If Belton can continue this development he should definitely find himself in the mix for some serious playing time come Week 1 in Tennessee.
