Will Jaxson Dart be the Giants’ next Eli Manning, a long-term franchise quarterback savior?
We’re a long way from answering that question. But for what it’s worth — certainly something, but not everything — the Giants’ coaches continued to rave about Dart on Tuesday, when they began their two-day minicamp.
Which is what you’d expect, considering the Giants just drafted this kid in Round 1. It’s not like they’re going to stay he stinks.
Ultimately, Dart’s solid performance throughout his first spring practices — which unsurprisingly included some rookie hiccups — won’t determine his NFL future. He hasn’t even gone through his first training camp, let alone played in or started a game. Those are much bigger tests.
Objectively, with all cynicism aside, Dart has flashed potential (and lots of confidence) during these no-pads, no-contact spring practices. That’s definitely better than the alternative of him looking totally lost.
After Wednesday’s final minicamp practice, the Giants will be off until training camp begins in late July. At that point, it’ll be fascinating to see how much Dart pushes Russell Wilson for the starting job.
It would be a surprise if Wilson did not start in Week 1. But if Dart plays well enough this summer, including during preseason games, that might push the Giants to keep Wilson on a shorter leash if they lose a lot early.
In the meantime, here’s what Giants coach Brian Daboll (supposedly a quarterback whisperer) said Tuesday about Dart: “He has done excellent. He’s picking up the information. He’s smart. He’s aggressive with the football, which I like. He’s progressed since he’s been here to where he is now. You can give him a lot. He can absorb a lot.”
Daboll wisely noted that “the true test” for Dart will come when actual football — with an opposing pass rush trying to crush Dart — begins.
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Giants quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney called Dart “an instinctive player. He does a really good job of knowing where to go with the ball, even if he’s not fully aware of what’s going on yet. Has really good spatial awareness. All the things we thought we saw on tape have shown up when you see it live for the first time [during practice].”
Now it’s up to Dart to deliver on this early praise when it actually matters.
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Darryl Slater may be reached atdslater@njadvancemedia.com.