Dane

Belton

Raanan added that there is some hope Belton will be able to return before Week 1. The Giants nabbed Belton in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He was reportedly having a strong offseason before going down. Belton entered the league as a safety/linebacker hybrid but was getting starting reps at strong safety early in camp. This gave him a shot at landing the starting role for Week 1, but that will likely have to wait until later in the year.

Belton (6'1"/205) finished the 2021 season with 44 total tackles, 12 passes defended, and was voted All-Big Ten first-team. He has great size for a strong safety and also has started at outside linebacker. He’s tough off the initial press and causes the receiver to get off balance consistently hound them to where on quicker plays he can completely take them out of the equation. He excels in the zone where he reads the quarterback well and the offense follows his movement. When he’s assigned to play deep is where you see his weaknesses. He’ll often lose track of his assignment on deep covers and has trouble reading the overall play to where he can’t react in time. He doesn’t have the football IQ and speed to play back as a safety, but his toughness and resilience could get him a job as a backup linebacker.