1 week Ago
The New York Giants surprised, delighted, and confused their fans during the back half of the first round of the draft when they traded back into the first round at pick 25 to select Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart. The move cost the Giants the 34th overall pick, the 99th pick (third round), and a 2026 third-round pick. There had been reports that if the Giants did not trade up to get Dart, the Rams would take him as a potential successor to Matthew Stafford.
Those reports seemed to be backed by the fact that immediately following the Giants pick, the Rams traded the 26th pick to the Falcons. What's to Love? Dart has really good arm talent. He has a strong arm that can drive the ball to the outside and deep down the seams.
The ball has extra life when it leaves his hands. Whether it is the deep out, fade, or driving the ball into the dig route, he can easily get it there from the pocket or on the move. He also has the accuracy to place the ball into areas that would be perilous with a lesser arm.
He can place the ball away from defenders and put them in areas where only his receiver can grab the pass. He also exhibits great anticipation. He gets the ball out on time and is ready for the receiver to catch it and make something happen with it.
Dart is also a really good athlete. That impressive athleticism allows him to escape from peril when things collapse in the pocket and to be a plus one in the rushing attack. Teams have to account for him as a rushing threat in the offense.
Over his three seasons at Ole Miss, Dart rushed for almost 1,500 yards and 12 touchdowns. That is impressive when you consider that sacks are counted as rushing numbers in college. Because he is a threat to run, it opens lanes for the running back and passing lanes from defenders who get caught with their eyes in the backfield waiting for him to run.
What Needs to Improve? While Dart feasts on defenses that play man coverage because it opens up the opportunity for the deep pass, he struggles against teams that play deep zone coverage. Whenever he is forced to work underneath, he gets in trouble. He can get erratic or impatient.
When he does, he begins to force passes where they should not be, which results in turnovers. He needs to better understand how to accept what the defense gives him and settle for modest gains instead of always looking for the big shots down the field. When reading defenses, he is not always the most consistent.
He can be fooled into forcing a pass somewhere because he thinks his arm can beat the defense. He also gets in trouble when he is fooled by disguised coverages because he is too impatient. He can also get lazy with his footwork, which requires him to use more of his upper body and decreases his accuracy.
His footwork issues can also cause him to get behind on his timing because he is not in the proper position to throw the football. How He Fits Dart is likely not the solution at quarterback right now. This regime believes he is the quarterback who can lead them for 10-plus seasons.
He will be filling a popular apprenticeship position behind veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston. This will relieve any pressure he may have to be good right now, allow him to get comfortable being a professional, and learn how to handle things as a pro. If things are going well for the team, he may spend a year or even two as a backup before ascending to the starting role with the confidence and trust of the coaching staff, front office, and players in the locker room.
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