New York Sports Today

New York Sports News Continuously updated

Making the Case for Jaxson Dart to the Giants

by

Jaxon Dart to the Giants

After signing veteran quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston last week, the Giants positioned themselves to take the best player available with the third pick in April’s draft. They still need to find their true face of the franchise, but the likelihood of consensus top quarterback Cam Ward being available is less and less likely. In the eyes of most draft analysts, there’s a significant drop-off between Ward and the rest of the quarterbacks. For the Giants, the cost-benefit for selecting a prospect like Shedeur Sanders over a blue-chip positional prospect like Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter is a waste of premium assets.  So, let’s make the case for Jaxon Dart to the Giants. 

An alternative option to find a long-term franchise quarterback would be to trade into the back end of the first round and select Jaxon Dart from Ole Miss. 

He’s a tantalizing prospect who has a field of supporters and skeptics from draft pundits from across the NFL world. While he’s an unlikely option with the third pick, he might be an intriguing project if the Giants are able to sneak back into the end of the first round-similar to the way the Ravens traded for the 32nd pick in the 2018 draft for Lamar Jackson.  

Is Dart a potential option for the Giants? Let’s make the case for Jaxon Dart and his fit with the New York Giants. 

Jaxson Dart: Strengths

Arm Strength & Deep Ball Ability –

For starters, Dart can make all the throws and push the ball downfield. Without question, he has an NFL arm. His release resembles a short-stop’s quick motion in baseball, which leads to decisive, high-velocity throws. This helped him excel in Lane Kiffin’s vertical passing attack in 2024 to the tune of 28 passing touchdowns and a 180.4 passer rating. Dart routinely trusts his arm strength in the intermediate and deep areas of the field and, in turn, has the confidence to throw into tight windows inside and outside of the pocket. 

The clip below against Duke is an example of Dart doing exactly that- drifts to his weak side, aligns his shoulders and throws a perfect touch pass to the opposite hash that traveled 40+ air yards. 

For a coach like Brian, Daboll- who clearly wants to push the downfield- Dart’s arm strength is an intriguing, malleable trait that the other prospects in the class don’t possess. Daboll’s most success in the league was when he worked with Josh Allen in Buffalo. No, Dart’s arm strength is not on that level, but he does possess more raw arm talent than Daniel Jones, Drew Lock and Tommy Devito did in 2024. With proper coaching, Dart and Daboll could resemble a lighter version of the 2020-2021 Buffalo passing attack that featured high-risk, high-reward intermediate and deep shots. This scenario makes Jaxon Dart to the Giants plausible. 

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Toughness & Competitiveness 

Dart plays with grit, fights through hits, and shows leadership. No defender will confuse Dart for Jalen Milroe, but he can find tough yards on the ground in key situations. To the surprise of many, Dart’s legs are a valuable asset in the red zone. He is just athletic enough to make defenses account for his escapability on every play. His unsuspecting dual-threat ability will raise his floor at the NFL while he corrects some of his mechanics and adjusts to a full NFL playbook. 

Beyond his willingness to get gritty yards, Dart shows toughness in the pocket. Throughout his Ole Miss career, Dart stood in the pocket and delivered throws in the midst of pressure. 

Dart’s Concerns & Areas for Improvement

Turnovers

Dart can be reckless at times, leading to unnecessary risks. There are also moments where he needs to take what the defense gives him. Unfortunately, Ole Miss’ scheme that rarely asks quarterbacks to make second or third reads. In some of his turnovers, Dart locks eyes with his first target and allows safeties to break on the ball. 

There is serious concern that this could be adjusted in the NFL to where it’s no longer an issue. He got away with “big-game hunting” in college because of his velocity and arm strength. Unfortunately, NFL defensive backs’ closing speeds are faster and more precise than in college. It wouldn’t be surprising if Dart throws some egregious interceptions early in his NFL career. 

Processing Speed  

Lane Kiffin’s offensive scheme is notorious for simple one read throws. Only six quarterbacks have been drafted in Kiffin’s college coaching career: Matt Leinart, John David Booty, Mark Sanchez, John Crampton and Jalen Hurts. Of those six, only Jalen Hurts went on to have NFL success. One could even argue that Hurts NFL success could be more attributed to his season in Oklahoma than Alabama, too. So the question around Darts begs: can he adjust to NFL defenses and go through reads quickly? 

Read Progression 

Due to the scheme, his processing to second and third reads is slower than what is expected from a senior quarterback. The space that he was accustomed to using in college will certainly be covered in the NFL. His inability to anticipate throws in tight windows, again as a result of the scheme, is a serious concern. Like former Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, Dart is a “see it, throw it” type of thrower. In other words, Dart often waits for the receiver to break on a route, gather space, and then throw it. Elite quarterbacks anticipate, or sense, when a receiver will be open before they even break or create space. Quarterbacks who “see, it throw” have inherently limited ceilings. 

However, Bo Nix played a similar role in Oregon in 2023. The scheme didn’t ask him to process coverage post-snap. As a result, Nix’s draft stock was limited, and he ended up throwing 30 touchdown passes as a rookie. 

Nix and Dart aren’t an apples-to-apples comparison. The point is that a player can play above his red flags on film. Until Dart proves he can process defenses post-snap and quickly go through reads, teams might be reluctant to use premium draft capital on him.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

How He Fits with the Giants

Brian Daboll’s offense is far more complex for a quarterback than Lane Kiffin’s. No matter where he is drafted, Dart will benefit from sitting for an extended period of time to adjust to running an NFL offense. However, his big play ability will certainly be appealing to Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, who are yearning to call an explosive offense. 

Dart is firmly the third-best quarterback prospect in this draft. He is an intriguing late first or second-round pick if the Giants decide to pass on Sheduer Sanders in the first round. With proper development and coaching, Dart could very easily become a viable NFL starter. His ability to pick up a pro-style offense will determine the ceiling for his success at the next level.  With veteran quarterbacks in the building, Jaxon Dart to the Giants makes sense for both sides. 

Main Image: Vasha Hunt – USA Today Sports

The post Making the Case for Jaxson Dart to the Giants appeared first on Last Word on Pro Football.