Jaxson Dart

ANALYSIS
The Giants traded back into the first round from their 34th selection, working with Houston at the 25th spot to make Dart the team's second selection of the first round. Quarterback remained a need for the Giants following the third-overall selection of edge defender Abdul Carter, and in theory the acquisition of Dart addresses that concern. Dart (6-foot-2, 223 pounds) was a very successful starter at Mississippi and logged some quality off-the-bench starts for USC as a true freshman before that, and now the Giants will hope he can provide an upgrade over the veteran duo of Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston. Dart offers more rushing ability than most quarterbacks and showed the ability to make some good throws in college, but Dart probably needs to do a better job of executing a play design through its conclusion -- in college he probably dropped his eyes and looked to run a little too easily. If Dart can harness his mobility and accuracy in a more refined form of himself then he could prove to be worth this selection.

ANALYSIS
While there was plenty of attention on the amount of pre-draft scouting the Giants completed on Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, Raanan notes New York rather quietly also intensely studied Dart. Giants general manager Joe Schoen attended one of Dart's games at Ole Miss during the 2024 season, and there was also a robust contingent of team brass present for Dart's private pre-draft workout. Additionally, Daboll and Dart developed a strong rapport throughout the process and texted frequently in recent weeks, and Schoen confirmed the team made a decision it wanted to draft the promising signal-caller Monday.