The New York Giants and Brian Daboll wanted former Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart in the 2025 NFL draft. Joe Schoen, the team's general manager, was able to make that happen by trading back into the late stage of the first round at pick No. 25 to get him.
Coming out of the first round with elite pass rusher Abdul Carter and potential franchise quarterback in Dart was a huge win for a franchise that badly needed help under center.
Heading into the 2025 NFL season, Russell Wilson will be the Giants' starting quarterback. However, Wilson is far from being the quarterback of the future. That role will belong to Dart.
According to Matt Citak of Giants.com, Daboll is already seeing things he loves about his rookie quarterback. He sent a strong message about one specific area of Dart's game.
"Daboll said Dart has 'natural leadership qualities' which have already been on full display over the QB's first few days in the building," Citak wrote in a post on X.
Dart showcased a dynamic arm during the 2024 college football season at Ole Miss and he was a great leader for the Rebels as well.
Jaxson Dart Giants
New York Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.
© John Jones-Imagn Images
Throughout his career to this point, Dart has been on the field playing. That won't be the case as a rookie in New York. He spoke out about the idea of sitting on the sidelines to begin his NFL career.
“I haven’t really sat before,” Dart said. “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. I understand what the situation is, but for me and myself, 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.”
During the 2024 season at Ole Miss, Dart completed 69.3% of his pass attempts for 4,279 yards, 29 touchdowns, and six interceptions. He also ran for 495 yards and three touchdowns.