DB #6

Dane Belton

Safety · Iowa

A physical, ball-hawking safety out of Iowa, Dane Belton broke out with a career-best 2025 season before signing with the Jets in free agency.

Dane Belton spent his first four NFL seasons with the Giants, gradually working from rotational depth into a full-time starter. His breakout 2025 campaign, in which he started nine of New York's final ten games, set career highs across the board and led to a new contract with the Jets.

★ Fourth-round pick (No. 114 overall) in the 2022 NFL Draft

★ First-team All-Big Ten honoree as a junior at Iowa

★ One of four NFL rookies with multiple interceptions and fumble recoveries in 2022

★ Career-high 120 tackles, three forced fumbles in 2025

Path to the league

Belton starred at Iowa, where in his final season he posted 46 tackles, three tackles for loss, seven pass breakups and five interceptions, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors. He finished his three-year Hawkeye career with 112 tackles, 12 passes defensed and 6.5 tackles for loss across 30 games. The Giants selected him in the fourth round, 114th overall, of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Career highlights

Belton was one of just four NFL rookies, and the only first-year safety, with multiple interceptions and multiple fumble recoveries during the 2022 season. Across four seasons with the Giants he appeared in 66 regular-season games with 22 starts, totaling 240 tackles, eight tackles for loss, 16 passes defensed, six interceptions and four forced fumbles.

2025 season recap

Belton broke out in 2025, starting nine of the Giants' final ten games and playing all 17 contests. He finished with a career-high 120 tackles, two sacks, five passes defensed, one interception and three forced fumbles, more than doubling his previous career-best tackle total. That performance helped him land a free-agent deal with the Jets in 2026.