The New York Giants needed a tight end entering the third day of the 2022 NFL draft and they secured one in short order.
With their first pick of the fourth round (No. 112 overall), the Giants selected San Diego State tight end Daniel Bellinger.
Bellinger joins a nearly brand new tight end group in 2022 that will include Ricky Seals-Jones and Jordan Akins, as well as Chris Myarick, who was on the team briefly and scored a touchdown last season.
Bellinger said his heart was pounding when he got the call that he was coming to East Rutherford to begin his professional football career.
“I was just super excited. My heart was pounding when I got the call. It was a great process with them. I enjoyed every single second talking to the coaches and the assistant GM. It was a great process with them,” Bellinger told reporters on Saturday.
Bellinger said blocking was the strength of his game and he feels like good blocker, but also sees himself as a very versatile player who can make the necessary catches and big plays when needed.
“Blocking and being versatile in both the passing game and blocking game because I think I can do a good job blocking and I can stretch the field and make plays when I need to,” Bellinger said of his strengths.
“It really came down to game plan and schemes that we needed to do for that week. And if I didn’t get enough balls, that’s all right as long as we got the win.”
In four years at San Diego State, Bellinger hauled in 68 catches for 771 yards and five touchdowns. During his senior season, Bellinger had 31 catches for 357 yards and two touchdowns.