The New York Giants may need to lean harder into the quarterback class during the 2025 NFL Draft, as the news confirming that the Rams will stick with Matthew Stafford should serve as a serious wake-up call for Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll.
While Miami's Cam Ward and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders are projected to be picked in the first 10 picks due to their splendid final college seasons, those two consensus top quarterbacks are being closely followed by emerging the No. 3 passer in Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart. After a strong Senior Bowl, the Giants could be eyeing Dart.
Dart certainly knows how to say the right things to Giants fans and executives. The first order of business is going out of your way to be complementary of Eli Manning, and Dart did just that.
Dart called Manning a "legend" and "huge role model" as he embarks upon his professional journey. Not only is Dart a fan of Eli, but No. 10 himself seems to be all in on Dart, based on the fellow Ole Miss alum's past comments. Could Dart be the signal-caller Daniel Jones tried to be?
Jaxson Dart complements Giants legend Eli Manning at NFL Combine
Dart completed 69 percent of his passes in his last season with the Rebels, averaging a preposterous 10.8 yards per attempt. Dart threw for 4,279 yards and 29 touchdowns against just six interceptions, all while adding 495 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
Ward may have a stronger arm, and Sanders might be more accurate on deep passes, but Dart's ability to rip off chunk lays on intermediate throws and make things happen outside of the pocket will help him rise up draft boards. Dart also seems to have alleviated concerns about his Ole Miss offense being remedial compared to what a professional playbook will ask of him.
While drafting Dart at No. 3 overall might be a bit rich, there's a world where the Giants could land a no-doubt star like Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter before taking Dart in the second round. Moving up to the end of the first round is also a very real possibility.
Dart has some concerns hanging around his overall stock, but the Giants would be foolish to discard him out of hand as a player who can't lead this team. If he's one-fifth the player Eli was, picking Dart could be a worthwhile endeavor for New York.