Speaking of summer, several people with the Giants told me New York knew since then that Dart was “the guy.” They just didn’t want to rush it.
Before the draft, they did their homework on all the quarterbacks, but every meeting with Ole Miss’s Dart ended the same way: with coach Brian Daboll and front-office members walking out saying, “He checks every box.”
Believe it or not, the Giants also leaned on some unlikely help. Ole Miss assistant quarterbacks coach Joe Judge, the former Giants head coach, helped the team learn everything it needed to know about Dart.
The Giants also knew they weren’t alone. The Saints, Steelers and Browns had all shown interest. New York tried to play it cool, but the Giants also knew Daboll’s personality — fiery, competitive, intense and sometimes a little unhinged — was a perfect match for Dart’s energy.