There is a distinct difference between drafting a quarterback in Round 1 and Round 2.
For the New York Giants, that difference for now is No. 34, No. 99, and a 2026 third-round. But it will also manifest itself in the kinds of pressure facing both Dart and the Giants.
First-round passers get second chances that Day 2 passers don’t. They are afforded the opportunity to be coach killers. Most importantly, they are expected to save the franchise and follow through on their heavy investment.
Dart is in line for a redshirt season. He’s viewed as a project passer, is coming from an impressively amateur Mississippi offense, and has two established veterans ahead of him on the depth chart.
However, Chris Simms, the son of former Giants quarterback Phil Simms, says that Dart could start ahead of schedule.
"I don’t expect the Giants to be a super team here," Simms explained during Monday's edition of FanDuel TV’s "Up & Adams," as shared by the New York Post’s Christian Arnold. "I’m not picking the Giants to go to the playoffs. The amount of money they’re paying Russell Wilson does not guarantee him the starting quarterback job.
“Those are things I look at to go, if Jaxson Dart is phenomenal through training camp and (organized team activities) and has a really good preseason, and Russell Wilson is just, eh, just OK and doesn’t look all that sharp, I don’t think they’ll be scared to start Jaxson Dart here."
Wilson will almost certainly start in Week 1. As an accomplished Super Bowl champion and a 2024 playoff starter, he likely gives New York the best chance to win. The length of his leash might grow less certain as Dart and other circumstances come into play, but he’s the kind of adult in the room that the Giants have lacked.
"It sounds like the guy [Daboll] really wanted was Jaxson Dart," Simms said. "And when you got the head coach/playcaller in your corner and you're his guy, he’s going to make sure you succeed and go in the right direction. I wouldn’t be shocked Week 1. I think it would be, realistically, if you made me bet, I would say around Week 5 or 6 would be really the time I’d expect [Dart to play]."
There are two paths to Dart playing by the October deadline Simms set – both the best- and worst-case scenarios in his development. Either he’s ahead of schedule, a budding star, and a passer who gives New York an edge over the below-average play Wilson is set to provide, or he gets the nod out of someone’s seat growing hot.
Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen are relatively safe, given the recent investment in a Round 1 quarterback. But that’s a lot easier to say before losses mount.
The only certainty is that the two won’t go down without getting a look at their quarterback. Whether that’s a decision made out of excitement or anxiety could help define Dart’s rookie campaign.