Rookie Giants running back Wayne Gallman ran into Post columnist Steve Serby for some Q&A.

Q: What drives you?
A: My whole drive is just be the best me I can be. I also want to be one of the greatest. Whatever stress I have, whatever is happening at home, whenever I play football, it just goes away. I’m free. My mind’s lifted. It’s also a getaway.

Q: What is your on-field mentality?
A: I don’t like to go down. I like to always fight for that extra yard. I’m just all about want-to.

Q: They used to call you “The Beast”?
A: Yeah, when I was little, when I started football at 5, they used to call me The Beast.

Q: You were a running back?
A: I played everything except for quarterback.

Q: Did you want to play quarterback?
A: No.

Q: Why not?
A: I want to run the ball, I don’t want to throw it.

Q: Why did they call you The Beast?

A: When I was 5, they had this one drill at practice where all the parents will hold the bag up. It’s a tackling drill, we had to practice tacking the bag. Every time I went, I would knock one of the dads out, like knock ’em down, ’cause I hit it so hard.

Q: Was that fun for you to do that?
A: Yeah, I mean, when I was younger I was completely different than what I am now. I was a devil child.

Q: What is a devil child?
A: I had way too much energy, and my mom couldn’t control me.

Q: How did she handle you?
A: (Smile) You have to ask my mom ’cause she didn’t want to have kids after me. Put it plain and simple.

Q: Did she?
A: I have two sisters. She waited about 10 years.

Q: What did you do that drove her nuts?
A: I used to put cracks in the wall with my head, just running through the house, run into the walls. … I’ve jumped off whole flights of stairs. … I remember we were at Six Flags, I just ran wherever and she just tried to keep up and she passed out in the ice cream station, because it was so hot and I had her running around. I put a crack in her door ’cause I was scared one night and she wouldn’t let me in.

Q: You were punching it?
A: Trying to bang on the door.

Q: Why?
A: I was scared, I thought someone was coming upstairs.

Q: When did you stop being a devil child?
A: I used to be on a lot of ADHD medicine. I used to be on Adderall. I think that stuff changed me because Adderall had me feeling like I wasn’t even myself. There’d be times my mom would call me but I was so focused on the TV. I guess the Adderall and all the other stuff I was taking helped. I think I stopped taking Adderall and all that medicine when I got into the ninth grade.

Q: Describe your running style.
A: I can be fast around the edge, or I can be powerful up the middle. I could do whatever you want.

Q: Do you enjoy inflicting punishment?
A: Yeah, ’cause I got people that are coming at me want to do the same thing to me so why not do the same thing to them?

Q: You want to be a guy that carries the ball 25 times a game?
A: If you’re a running back and you don’t want 20 carries, then it’s something with you!

Q: If you could pick the brain of any running back in history, who would it be?
A: Of course A.P. [Adrian Peterson], but also maybe Walter Payton. Walter Payton’s just a physical back, man. I’m not at that point yet where I’m fully comfortable going outside the box and doing what I want to do outside the system. You know how today we see Le’Veon [Bell] — he has his own style, he knows his line, he knows he could be patient, and when to hit it, stuff like that. I don’t think I’m fully there yet, but that’s a question I’d ask. That’s where I want to be.

Q: Did you get to know Rex Ryan at all while you were at Clemson?
A: Shook his hand every now and then, but like never really talked to him like that.

Q: His son Seth was a wide receiver and holder.
A: Seth was cool, man. He got there when I got there. Real smart dude. His whole focus was wanting to be a coach just like his dad. So he really went to Clemson to be around us, learn how the coaches coach … just like a learning process for him.

Q: Rookie Texans QB Deshaun Watson, who was put on the IR on Nov. 4 after a torn ACL in practice, was a college teammate. How good will he be in the pros?
A: I think Deshaun is gonna be a legend. I know that’s his goal.

Q: There were some scouts that didn’t see him as a first-round pick.
A: That’s the thing with the draft. The whole draft thing you can’t just listen to because everyone’s gonna have their own opinion, but I knew myself that he was gonna go first round. You see where Tom Brady is today, so it really wouldn’t matter where he went.

Q: Best single Deshaun play?
A: When he hurdled a dude our freshman year into the end zone.

Q: Where were you when he beat Alabama in the national championship game with the last-second TD pass to Hunter Renfrow?
A: I was picking up a block for Deshaun to roll out.

Q: Did you get to see the catch?
A: Yeah I was right there. I’m in the picture!

Q: What is the first thing you remember feeling?
A: I just felt relief. That hurt me so bad the past year ’cause I felt we worked so hard and we deserved it, but just to be back there again, it wasn’t as overwhelming, we were prepared. It meant everything.

Q: What is your Clemson-Alabama prediction this year?
A: I ain’t gonna say we’re gonna lose! Landon [Collins] and I have a little bet. Landon came up to me last week, right after all the games were over with.

Q: What did you bet?
A: You’ll see after.

Q: Why did you pick Clemson?
A: I felt as if I could play early and I felt as if I could make history there. That’s really where God took me.

Q: Describe Eli Manning.
A: That’s the best dude ever, man. I love Eli. … I just love who he is as a person. On the field, there’s never anything I cannot ask that dude. He always makes sure I’m right, and sometimes I make sure he’s right when I’m in.

Q: What are your thoughts on fired coach Ben McAdoo?
A: Coach McAdoo’s a great man. I feel bad that we couldn’t have had a better season for him. Just an unfortunate chain of events that’s happened this season that I’ll never say happened before. He taught me a lot through my time here that I’ll take on the rest of my career.

Q: Can this team rebound when Odell Beckham Jr. comes back next season?
A: I’m gonna do my best to make that happen, I can tell you that.

Q: How have you coped with this season?
A: I keep my skeletons in the closet, man. I’m a perfect teammate out here, whatever, but whenever I get mad, want to throw something, I do that at home.

Q: Why do you like playing in New York?
A: I’ve always liked to travel. … When I heard I was coming up here, who doesn’t want to come to New York? The best thing I like about playing up here is the whole organization is very family-like, just like Clemson. We all care. Now I never had a season like this, but all I know is that it’s just God teaching us something. And whatever it is, gonna find out sooner or later in the years to come.

Q: Your father, Wayne Sr., is a retired Marine.
A: The major influence I’d say my dad had on me is just to be a man, and to be my own man. Just being you. Don’t be anyone else.

Q: Favorite restaurants?
A: River Palm, Lure Fishbar.

Q: Do you cook for yourself?
A: No, I actually have a little thing with this small company called Fit for Life. Just got Evan [Engram] to start using it.

Q: You’ve been a fan of the cafeteria meat loaf since training camp.
A: My mom always made it, but I never really liked anyone else’s meat loaf.

Q: Three dinner guests?
A: Michael Jackson, [Japanese Manga and game artist] Akira Toriyama, Michael Jordan.

Q: Favorite movie?
A: The “Matrix” trilogy.

Q: Favorite actor?
A: Keanu Reeves.

Q: Favorite actress?
A: Halle Berry.

Q: Favorite entertainer?
A: Chris Brown.

Q: Favorite food?
A: Cheesecake.

Q: Giants fans?
A: Wherever we went, there’s been plenty of Giants fans that always support and always have our backs.