The New York Giants have had an eventful offseason, which continued on Thursday night in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Big Blue selected Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter with the third overall pick, but the biggest surprise of the night was the Giants moving up nine spots back into the first round to draft their quarterback of the future, Jaxson Dart, with the 25th pick.
The move comes after the team let veteran quarterback Daniel Jones go in the middle of last year after six seasons with the Giants. The Giants drafted Jones with the sixth overall pick in 2019 but moved on after he failed to lead the team to more than one playoff appearance.
Before drafting Dart, the Giants had already addressed the quarterback position in free agency with the additions of veteran signal-callers Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston.
A quarterback room consisting of Wilson, Winston, Dart, and Tommy DeVito has Giants fans feeling much more optimistic about 2025 compared to last year, when Jones, Drew Lock, and Tommy Cutlets led New York’s offense.
While Giants fans may feel more confident heading into this season with their new-look offense, some critics are not pleased with the moves made by Joe Schoen and Big Blue’s front office at quarterback.
Robert Griffin III bashes the Giants’ QB moves
Former NFL quarterback and ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III recently criticized the Giants for drafting Dart after signing Wilson and Winston. RG3 took to X, saying, “The New York Giants have no idea what they are doing at quarterback.”
Griffin III clarified that he loves Dart’s game but isn’t a fan of the situation he’s walking into in New York, where he would likely sit for a year. He believes it’s not an ideal setup for Dart’s development.
RG3 also questioned the Winston signing, noting that the team signed Wilson shortly after — meaning Winston would likely be relegated to a backup role right away. He argued that drafting a rookie doesn’t fit the Giants’ current situation and that Dart would get minimal reps behind the two veterans.
The New York Giants have no idea what they are doing at QB. Signed Jameis Winston only to sign Russell Wilson to start over him and then drafted a Rookie QB who will get minimal reps in his redshirt year behind those 2. Lord have mercy.
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) April 25, 2025
While Griffin III isn’t necessarily wrong, the Giants needed to draft a rookie quarterback in this year’s class, as Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen were running out of time. This was one of their final opportunities to find and develop a long-term solution.
Daboll and Schoen fell in love with Dart throughout the draft process and view him as a project they look forward to developing over time and working with. Dart is not expected to have any starts this season and will take next season to sit and learn behind Russ and Jameis.
Wilson and Winston won't play forever, and by the time they are no longer with the team, Dart will be ready to become the Giants' long-term starter. The team could also turn to former Ole Miss quarterback and Giants legend Eli Manning to mentor Dart, who has praised the young signal caller.
The Giants didn’t lose any future first-round picks and would still have the flexibility to draft another quarterback down the line if needed. If that doesn’t give you some hope about the future, I’m not sure what will.
For now, Giants fans should welcome Dart with open arms — and let Daboll work his magic, just like he did before with a young Josh Allen.