Once pre-training camp listicle season starts in the NFL world, you know you’re in for some fun times.
New York Giants fans have certainly had their share of amusement lately, from ESPN's bold take about Cam Skattebo to the ongoing Brian Daboll redemption tour.
Credit to NFL Media’s Chad Reuter, who finds himself in rare territory by using context when evaluating Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart.
Reuter, a prominent NFL Draft analyst, released a seven-round, 32-team draft of players he’d want while assembling a win-now team. In other words, Reuter wasn’t ranking the NFL’s top 224 players, but he was using their expected 2026 performance to build a Super Bowl contender.
At first glance, it might seem discouraging that the Giants didn’t have a player taken before Dart at No. 40. But when factoring in the actual point of Reuter’s exercise, it’s hard to get too worked up.
NFL analyst subtly (and surprisingly) complimented the Giants
Although Reuter had the Chicago Bears take Dart at No. 40, the caveat is that he was the 19th quarterback taken.
Neither Malik Nabers (No. 57 to the Saints) nor Brian Burns (No. 60 to the Giants) came close to the first round, either. That’s not the diss that some fans might be tempted to take it for, especially when compared to the constant criticism Dart has taken for his aggressive play style.
Think about your fantasy football team. Even if you saw Giants games at Yankee Stadium, you’re almost definitely not taking any of those three with your first pick.
Burns is one of the NFL’s top pass-rushers, so his going within the first two rounds is actually a compliment.
Reuter essentially argued that Nabers and Burns warrant being a team’s first post-quarterback selection. Indeed, the Saints and Giants respectively took Jordan Love (No. 8) and Lamar Jackson (No. 5) in the first round.
And, perhaps most incredibly, Reuter opted for positivity and facts, two traits we’ve had trouble finding elsewhere.
“The Giants have not regretted trading for Burns two offseasons ago and hope he can once again put up big numbers after a 16.5-sack campaign in 2025,” Reuter wrote.
Given how the Giants have been covered this offseason, it’s fair to suggest that other national outlets would have found a way to insult Burns or blame him for the Dexter Lawrence trade.
Take the victories where you can get them, and a hypothetical Giants trio of Burns, Jackson, and Derrick Henry sounds like one that’d enjoy plenty of wins.
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