By now, New York Giants fans are well-acquainted with the name Jaxson Dart. Whether you loved the pick or just quietly nodded along because your brain couldn’t handle another Daniel Jones fever dream, one thing is clear—General Manager Joe Schoen and Head Coach Brian Daboll weren’t messing around. They had a quarterback in mind. They didn’t wait. They went and got him.
Trading back into Round 1 to grab Dart at No. 25 wasn’t some reckless Hail Mary. It was aggressive, sure. It was the front office saying, “We’ve seen enough of quarterback purgatory, thank you very much.” And with Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston already in place to bridge the gap, the setup couldn’t be more obvious. Dart is the future. The staff is just hanging on by a thread, hoping to be a part of it.
Still, we’re talking about the G-Men. So of course, even the good moves don’t escape criticism. Because while a lot of folks were impressed with the Dart selection... it's hard to please everyone.
Draft analyst believes Giants reached on Jaxson Dart selection
Enter Ian Valentino of The 33rd Team, who ranked Dart as the seventh-biggest reach of the entire 2025 NFL Draft. His reasoning:
“Jaxson Dart may end up being a fine starting quarterback for years to come with the New York Giants, but that doesn’t make their trade up for him less of a reach.”
He continued:
“Without a cannon for an arm, high-level processing ability, and struggles when under pressure, Dart was a prototypical Day 2 flier… It’s hard to view the Dart trade as necessary… It’s possible Dart quickly adapts to NFL speed, schemes, and concepts better than expected… But the odds aren’t in his favor of Dart becoming more than a fine but unspectacular starter on the replacement block every season.”
Respectfully, let’s pump the brakes.
Dart wasn’t some blindfolded throw at the dartboard (pun intended). He was the No. 33 overall player on the consensus big board (as fringe of a first-rounder as it gets) and the second quarterback taken.
The Giants traded up from 34 to 25 to secure him ahead of the Cleveland Browns, who were also in the market for a QB. They didn’t overpay to move up. They didn’t overextend. They drafted with conviction and delivered who they believe will be their QB of the future. That’s not malpractice, that’s a pretty smart draft strategy.
Valentino also ties Dart’s value to Shedeur Sanders going in the fifth round... as if that’s somehow proof New York made a mistake. But Sanders’ fall was about him. Not anything to do with Dart.
Reports of a bad pre-draft meeting with Daboll, concerns over his attitude and preparedness—that’s why Sanders slid. The Giants passed on him with purpose. Multiple times. So did everyone else. They didn’t overthink it when he was still there. They wanted Dart. End of story.
Yes, Dart has areas to clean up. He is far from a finished prospect. His processing needs work. His mechanics under pressure can get sloppy. But he also throws with real touch, operates well on the move, and fits exactly what Daboll’s system asks of its quarterback: toughness, mobility, and the ability to push the ball vertically.
Calling him a reach ignores context. It ignores fit. And it ignores the reality that if Dart hits, even as an above-average starter, the trade becomes a masterstroke. Time will tell. But for now, Big Blue did what good teams do. They worked the board, blocked a competitor, and came away with a quarterback they believed in.
And Schoen deserves credit for doing something Giants fans haven’t seen in a while: not overthinking it and sticking to the plan.