Did NY Giants' Jaxson Dart Get Fair Ranking Among Last Year's NFL Starting QBs?

Few rookie quarterbacks actually thrive. Jayden Daniels, CJ Stroud, and Robert Griffin III are anomalies. First-timers tend to look shaky or maybe even unprepared. Jaxson Dart certainly made his share of mistakes, but the New York Giants signal-caller fared well overall, especially given the circumstances.

Many people believe he has the athleticism, arm talent, and confidence to develop into a highly productive quarterback. Dart posted modest numbers in his first NFL campaign; as a result, he is not getting much love in the rankings.

When rating the 62 quarterbacks who started at least one game last season, Nick Shook of NFL.com slotted the former Ole Miss star at No. 23, Dart being ranked below both Bryce Young and fellow rookie Tyler Shough.

Let the debate begin!

Although Dart can plausibly leap above players like Stroud and Bo Nix in the near future, he does not deserve to be placed inside the top-20 quite yet. But one can certainly argue that he should be above both Young and Shough right now.

Jaxson Dart had much to overcome

NY Giants QB Jaxson Dart breaks loose — Nov 9, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) rushes the ball against the Chicago Bears during the second half at Soldier Field. | Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

Dart completed 216-of-339 passes (63.7 percent) for 2,272 yards with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions in 12 starts. He also rushed 86 times for 487 yards and nine scores.

Because the Giants lost Malik Nabers to a torn ACL and had limited options at wide receiver, the 22-year-old was incentivized to run the ball more.

And that is what he did. Dart's 162.3 passing yards per game were much lower than those of Shough (216.7) and Young (188.2), but he totaled more rushing yards than both of them combined.

The 6-foot-2 native of Kaysville, Utah, found ways to produce and kept the Giants in games more often than not. He should not be penalized for a compromised aerial attack.

Yes, the Giants' offensive line was far sturdier than what Bryce Young or Tyler Shough had to work with, and yes, Jaxson Dart could have been sharper in the pocket, but he was fighting an uphill battle most of the year.

Veteran WR Darius Slayton and second-year tight end Theo Johnson combined for 13 drops. New York fired head coach Brian Daboll in the middle of the season, and Dart faced a brutal six-game stretch that included the Philadelphia Eagles, Denver Broncos, Eagles again, San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears, and New England Patriots (all playoff teams).

Are people sleeping on Dart?

Quarterback Jaxson Dart | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The No. 25 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft helped the Giants upset Philly in Week 6 and put the team in position to beat both the Broncos and Bears. Shough and the New Orleans Saints won four of their last five games, but all of those victories came against squads with a losing record.

Although the Offensive Rookie of the Year runner-up deserves credit for completing 67.6 percent of his passes and posting 7.3 yards gained per pass attempt, one should consider context when juxtaposing his output with that of Dart.

Many seem to think Shough is the superior QB, and perhaps he will be, but it is hard to confidently make such an assertion at this time.

In any case, these rankings should just give Jaxson Dart more bulletin board material. He has plenty to keep him busy this offseason, but a little extra motivation could definitely help. Giants fans expect NFL.com's list to look very different in 2027.

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