The New York Giants went to great lengths this offseason to find their next franchise quarterback. They did their due diligence in the free agent and trade markets before ultimately landing on a combination of Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston as bridges to a rookie.
That rookie wound up being Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart, whom the Giants traded up to select with the No. 25 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
Dart was reported as head coach Brian Daboll’s guy, the prospect he had the most conviction in. But during a recent appearance on the Up and Adams Show, Giants general manager Joe Schoen shed more insight into the “organizational decision” that ultimately landed them Dart.
Giants collaboratively landed on Jaxson Dart as their next quarterback
Schoen explained the process that led the Giants to draft Dart to Adams, explaining the level of collaboration that goes into such a crucial decision.
Kay Adams questioned: “This pick of Jaxson Dart was Daboll’s, this is Brian Daboll’s guy. Is that what you want me to think, or is this your guy too?”
Joe Schoen responded: “No, it was an organizational decision. Any player we take, it’s a collaborative process and it’s detailed, and we believe in it. Jaxson’s a guy that was on the radar throughout the fall, we were able to see him play live, spend a lot of time with him at the Senior Bowl as well this spring.
“It helps when the head coach has an offensive background and has a history of developing quarterbacks. And then you throw in a Mike Kafka who was there for Patrick Mahomes’s rookie year where he only got to play one game and he got to see that development, and Shea Tierney our quarterback coach. So, three coaches on staff that have been part of the development of two pretty good quarterbacks in the league right now. When they’re convicted on a player, and the scouting staff is convicted on a player, typically you have the best chance for success in those situations.”
Schoen went on to explain that the team collaboratively knew that Dart was their guy the week of the draft. The Giants held a final meeting on the Monday before the draft and devised their plan on who to draft.
The Giants have plenty of reasons to be confident in Dart
There is an intense amount of excitement surrounding Dart and the Giants. The rookie quarterback went viral earlier this week for scoring a perfect 100 SPS: Star Predictor Score — a model that has been incredibly successful in predicting the success of NFL quarterbacks.
Dart has the moxy that many of the top quarterbacks in the NFL possess. On top of that, he has a strong arm, deep-passing accuracy, and mobility.
In 2024, Dart led the SEC in completion rate (69.3%) and passing yards (4,279) while also adding a 29-6 TD-INT ratio.
He likely won’t see much playing time as a rookie. However, the Giants are confident in Dart to lead their team to a brighter future in 2026 and beyond.
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