This Might Be Most Impactful 2025 New York Giants Draft Pick

Abdul Carter is going to make a splash for the Giants, but our choice for the most impactful draft pick is someone who might not even play this year.

Apr 25, 2025; East Rutherford, NJ, US; New York Giants president John Mara (far left), general manager Joe Schoen (left), Jaxson Dart, and head coach Brian Daboll (right) pose for photos before the start of the press conference to introduce the Giants first round draft picks. / Thomas Salus-Imagn Images

Anytime a team selects a quarterback in the draft, they become the most impactful player in the draft class. It should be no different for the New York Giants, who moved into the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft to select Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart with the No. 25 overall.

After a 3-14 season put them on the hot seat, general manager Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll were itching to fix the quarterback problem and find their next franchise quarterback. They signed veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston as insurance but fell in love with Dart during the pre-draft process.

After the Steelers passed on Dart, New York traded its No. 34 and No. 99 overall picks and a 2026 third-round selection to ensure that Dart would indeed be their man.

Dart, who will more than likely spend his rookie season redshirting as he learns from Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, will be compared to the other quarterbacks in his draft class, such as Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, Tyler Shough, and Kyle McCord, to name a few down the line.  

However, Giants general manager Joe Schoen, who made the call after getting key feedback from head coach Brian Daboll on which quarterback he liked best, isn’t about to second-guess the decision.

"At the end of the day, when we went through the process and we ranked them, this is how we had them ranked,” Schoen said. “Jaxson, we felt the value matched where we were."

Mar 1, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Mississippi quarterback Jaxson Dart (QB03) during the 2025 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Dart started his career at USC before transferring to Ole Miss. In his sole season in Southern California, he threw for 1,353 yards, nine touchdowns, and five interceptions. 

His career would take off once he teamed up with Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin and his quarterback-friendly system.

Last season, Dart threw for 4,279 yards with 29 touchdowns and six interceptions, earning All-SEC first-team honors. He also finished as the second-ranked draft-eligible quarterback with an overall PFF grade of 92.5 and a big-time throw rate of 7.1%.

Dart finished his collegiate career with 11,970 yards, 81 touchdowns, 27 interceptions, and 65.2% completion of his throws in 45 games.

Giants fans will have to wait a bit for Dart to take his place as the potential franchise quarterback of the future. Daboll has said that Wilson will be the starting quarterback, and Winston will handle backup duties. 

That said, Dart’s impact will be felt inside and outside the building, as there will be great interest in how he develops for the upcoming spring, summer, and fall, a process that, if it doesn’t work out, will be catastrophic to the current regime that backed the selection of the young signal caller.

However, if Dart succeeds in New York, the Giants and their fan base can rest easy about the most critical position on the team for at least the next decade or more.

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