Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart was waiting patiently on the night of Thursday, April 24. He knew he wasn’t going to be selected first overall in the 2025 NFL draft, but he didn’t believe he’d fall out of the top 10.

That’s because the 22-year-old held several positive pre-draft meetings with the New Orleans Saints, who were positioned to select ninth overall.

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“I met with them multiple times. (Saints head coach Kellen) Coach Moore was great, (Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier) Coach Nuss was great too. Definitely had a good relationship with them during the whole process,” Dart told reporters on Wednesday.

Instead of Dart, the Saints went with offensive lineman Kelvin Banks out of Texas. It took several more hours before Dart finally came off the board.

The New York Giants traded back into the first round and were elated to land Dart with pick No. 25 overall. Now, in his second NFL start, the rookie will take on those very same Saints and admittedly has a bit of a chip on his shoulder.

“I think that there’s always a chip on your shoulder any time that something like that happens. But, I’m just going to go out there and play as hard as I can,” he said. “I felt like my visit with them went good. So, you kind of have thoughts in your head during the draft of what options are really realistic, and I definitely felt like that was a place that could have panned out. But things didn’t work out that way.”

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What’s meant to be will be.

“I love it here. I love it here. There’s not a place that I’d rather be,” Dart said. “I love just how passionate people are here outside of the facility, within the facility. I kind of like the attitude that the East Coasters have and it’s a lot of fun. I’ve loved it.”

On Sunday, Dart will have an opportunity to exact a measure of revenge against the Saints, potentially keeping them winless while he picks up his second career victory and extending the Giants’ winning streak to two.

This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants’ Jaxson Dart seeks revenge on Saints after 2025 NFL draft snub