After becoming Ole Miss' first signal-caller to taken in the first round of an NFL Draft since Eli Manning over two decades ago, Jaxson Dart made his Giants debut Saturday during a preseason game against the Bills in Buffalo.
Dart did not start under center, but came into the game after the Giants' opening drive. Dart finished his NFL debut completing 12-of-19 passes for 154 yards, including a 29-yard touchdown strike as he got hit. The Giants’ rookie quarterback also showed his dual-threat ability, scrambling for 24 yards on three attempts.
The former Ole Miss star looked comfortable and in control, leading a seven-play, 80-yard touchdown drive on his second series of the game.
"I hope I can get every situation, just to get those reps, be on that stage and do it at a high level, but I'm just excited for this," Dart said earlier this week, via Giants.com. "I mean, this is just a dream of mine since I was a kid. I'm not scared. When I go out there, I'm going to play the game that I know how to play, and the offense here, they don't give me restrictions on what I can and can't do, so there's obviously going to be things where I'm learning when I can do something, when I can't do something. I think if you're going to play scared as a quarterback, you shouldn't be out there."
Dart led four total drives in the afternoon, with his final three series (TD, FG, FG) resulting in points.
Ole Miss' record-breaking quarterback will receive more in-game opportunities this month. The Giants are scheduled to host the New York Jets (Aug. 16) and New England Patriots (Aug. 21) to finish out the preseason.