The NFL Draft has been called both an inexact science and a crapshoot. Maybe both descriptions are fair. Many pundits graded Shedeur Sanders higher than Jaxson Dart. The latter was selected 25th overall by the New York Giants this past April. The former slid to the Cleveland Browns 119 picks later.
Since then, the expected paths for both have been well documented. In Dart’s case, he was supposed to sit behind Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston while carrying a clipboard and the ‘quarterback of the future’ title.
Jaxson Dart #6 of the New York Giants
Jaxson Dart #6 of the New York Giants
Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images/Newsweek/Getty Images
Jaxson apparently didn’t get that memo. The sample size is small. All we have to grade him on are OTAs and mandatory minicamp, but he seems intent on shifting the Giants QB pecking order.
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Jaxson Dart is seemingly putting the Giants coaches and his QB room on notice
The National Football League is ever-growing and always evolving. It’s a trait expected of a company so large and successful. Change comes yearly. Most are welcomed, though, if many of us are honest, we’ll miss the chain gang and seeing the down markers brought out for an anti-climactic measurement.
Sometimes, change comes on smaller scales. Whoever decided they’d begin tracking QB passing stats at practice deserves postseason recognition.
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Mandatory minicamp stats don’t really mean anything. They don’t accurately measure development nor will they be logged for dissection and for reference. They’re distant cousins of the mock draft. They’re just something to talk about and have a little fun with. Take this one for instance.
#Giants QB stats off the first day of mandatory minicamp ..
Russell Wilson: 9 of 13, 2 TDs
Jaxson Dart: 9 of 11, TD
Jameis Winston: 7 of 13, 2 TDs
Tommy DeVito: 0 for 1
Dart didn’t work in the first team period (red zone). He worked second in the rest of the team periods…
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) June 17, 2025
Notice anything intriguing here? Sure, it’s one day, and it’s mandatory minicamp. Yes, it must be taken into account that guys are wearing shorts, and Dart ran with the second-team offense.
This, however, says more to anyone digging a little deeper. These are just 11-on-11 stats compiled by SNY’s Connor Hughes, but this says Jaxson Dart isn’t coming to work to accept a backup position and sit idle for a year.
This says Jaxson Dart intends to make the most of every opportunity given. This says that, regardless of what the expectations are for his rookie season, he believes there’s no time like the present.
And, why wouldn’t he think that way? He’s a first-round draft choice who cut his teeth in the mighty SEC and earned First-team honors during his final run in 2024. Giants head coach has already detailed some of the vision for how his first-year signal-caller will be handled and managed.
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Let’s make long stories shorter. There’s no reason to believe that dart won’t be able to handle that.
Dart is an alpha, and though we’re only discussing stats that don’t count and guys running around shorts, quarterbacks, especially those taken in Round 1, only entertain, one way of thinking. ‘It’s now or never’.
Jaxson’s first NFL season will probably carry with it heavy dosages of the clipboard and a headset, but make no mistake. He has his sights set on the starter’s role and has no intention of playing second fiddle for an extended period of time.