During April's 2025 NFL Draft, quarterback Jaxson Dart became just Ole Miss' third signal-caller taken in the first round and second to be a part of a draft day trade involving the New York Giants. This week, Dart went through his first full day as quarterback for the New York Giants during the team's opening rookie minicamp period on Friday.
During his first practice in his new red and blue threads, Dart made an immediate impression.
On the field Dart completed 80 percent of his attempts, including eight straight, according to SNY's Connor Hughes. Off the field, Dart gave a glimpse of his real personality.
When Dart stepped up to the podium, before any question was asked, the former Rebel asked each media member to identify themselves so he could ‘put names to faces'. It might seem like a small gesture, but the reaction was glowingly positive.
Jaxson Dart's first full day with the #NYGiants : Confident, comfortable and in command. My column on an impressive impression left by the rookie QB https://t.co/Ia4aCig8Ci via @northjersey @JaxsonDart
— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) May 9, 2025
Dart also dived into his mentality, sounding like anything but a backup rookie — which will be his role entering the 2025 season.
(Photo: New York Giants)
"I'm a competitor, so I'm going to come to work each and every day and do my best to make everybody around me better," Dart told reporters. "I understand what the situation is, but for me, I care about winning. There's nothing fun about losing. So it doesn't matter where you're at on the depth chart, if you're playing this much or not playing this much, if you're losing, it sucks. So, for me, I want to make the team better, and that's my focus."
At Ole Miss, Dart became the Rebels' winningest quarterback and passed former New York Giants legend Eli Manning for the program's all-time passing yards mark.
What will the Giants be getting in the latest Rebel product? His head coach of the last three seasons offered insight.
"He's a winner — he's gonna always rise to the top," Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin told The New York Post this month. "He's got a drive to be great, to outwork people, to be better than people and to just beat people in whatever it is. He's gonna live at the office -- if he messes up he'll just stay at practice forever and work on that exact throw. He's very critical of himself and he holds himself to such a high standard."