The New York Giants are hoping that they have found the future of their franchise with the No. 25 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft, which they spent on former Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart.
Dart accomplished a lot during his time at Ole Miss, leaving a strong impression on the SEC and their esteemed coaches — especially his former head coach, Lane Kiffin, who is widely considered to be among the brightest offensive minds in college football.
Giants’ rookie QB Jaxson Dart is the “complete package”
Kiffin recently appeared on the “Giants Huddle” podcast and gave his two cents on Dart, praising the quarterback’s mental acumen and ability to persevere.
“He really is a quick learner, really can see everything and can chunk information,” Kiffin said (h/t Giants.com’s Dan Salomone). “And if he is struggling with something, he’s going to find a way. He’s going to stay after. He’s going to do whatever it takes.”
Dart started for three seasons under Kiffin. During that stretch, he threw for an Ole Miss career record 10,617 passing yards with a 72-22 TD-INT ratio and 158.4 passer rating.
“He’s got great parents, a great family. He was raised really well and he has really good awareness, too. He reads rooms really well, reads people really well, so he’s really got the complete package.”
In his final collegiate season, Dart led the SEC with 4,279 passing yards and a 69.3% completion rate. His 180.7 passer rating and 10.8 yards per attempt led the country.
Lane Kiffin compares Dart to a Giants legend
Going from Ole Miss to the Big Apple, Dart is continuing to follow in the footsteps of a Giants legend — Eli Manning.
“I think there’s a lot of Eli [Manning] in there,” Kiffin said. “But then he has that – I’d say, his dad in him, the defensive personality in him where it takes over a little bit and he gets a little aggressive. But most times throughout the week, he’s very calm.”
Manning served as a mentor for Dart during the youngster’s time at Ole Miss and will continue to do so in New York. Dart’s career passing yards record at Ole Miss broke the record previously held by Manning.
If Dart can have even half of the success that Manning had with the Giants, then his tenure with the team will be considered a success.
Kiffin sees the potential for something special in Dart, and so does Giants head coach Brian Daboll. Developing the young quarterback will be crucial, and it is a process that will need to be taken with great care.
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