The NY Giants drafted a quarterback in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft but it wasn't when or who people might have thought they'd do so. The Giants spent the third overall pick on Abdul Carter and then later traded back into the first round to snag Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart.
Dart isn't the first Ole Miss quarterback to suit up for the G-Men, as, once upon a time, the Giants made a deal for Eli Manning and he went on to play for them for 16 years before calling it a career. Now, half a decade after Manning hung up the cleats, a new Ole Miss signal-caller is coming to the Big Apple to play for the Giants and it's Jaxson Dart.
Manning recorded a video for the next Giants franchise quarterback and it'll get fans all sorts of fired up.
"Jaxson, congratulations on being drafted by the New York Giants. Obviously, there's a strong connection between Ole Miss quarterbacks and the Giants going back to Charlie Conerly and I'm excited that that tradition will continue with you," Manning said. "It's been an honor and a lot of fun rooting for you these past three years at Ole Miss and I look forward to rooting for you with the Giants for the next 15 years."
Eli Manning sends a message to Jaxson Dart that NY Giants fans will want to hear
After the video, Dart seemed emotional, noting, "That's special to me" and discussing how Manning has been a role model for the newest Giants quarterback. Giants fans likely loved the image of Dart spending the next 15 years in New York wearing the blue and white and hopefully having even more success than Manning did in his 16 years with the team.
While some might give the Giants a tough time for passing on Shedeur Sanders to take Dart, clearly there was something about Dart they liked and thought he was not only the right guy for them moving forward but worth moving back into the first round to snag. Hopefully the Giants don't have to look into first-round quarterbacks for the foreseeable future after this pick.