The NY Giants hope like crazy that Jaxson Dart is the franchise quarterback they've been searching for since Eli Manning retired. While Dart won't get the reins to the offense right off the bat, the hope is that he eventually takes over and shows what prompted the Giants to move up to snag him in the first round of this year's draft.
There are plenty of things to worry about when it comes to Dart's development with the Giants but the offensive line is arguably the biggest. Daniel Jones got wrecked behind an abysmal o-line and Giants fans are keeping their fingers crossed that the line has improved.
Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report said that the most important position battle to watch for the Giants is the interior offensive line. Specifically, he pointed out the lack of talent at right guard, noting, "[The Giants] might not have any good options at right guard."
"They will hope that's not the case, though. Greg Van Roten provides a reasonable floor as long as he hasn't fallen off an age cliff at 35 years old. Evan Neal will look to reignite his career after struggling at right tackle. There's potential there, but fifth-round pick Marcus Mbow also has some upside. B/R's Brandon Thorn gave him a third-round grade.
If the Giants have a strong winner at right guard, then the offensive line looks ready to help New York's offense be much better in 2025."
Jaxson Dart might quickly learn what it’s like to play behind chaos
Simply put -- If a quarterback doesn't have an average o-line, he's probably going to struggle. We saw that with Jones and hopefully, it's not what happens with Dart.
As Ballentine noted, Greg Van Roten could end up being decent but he's not the long-term answer at right guard. Evan Neal, a former first-rounder, is the latest former tackle to be kicked inside to guard and we'll see how that goes for him. If he looks okay there this summer, perhaps he can be the starting right guard and the Giants can hit the reset button with him.
The good news is that Dart won't be the one to immediately find out how the right guard position is going, as Russell Wilson will be the starter. If the o-line can't protect Wilson decent enough, there's no need to put Dart out there and crush his confidence.
Hopefully, this talk is all for naught though and the interior offensive line doesn't end up being a weakness at all.