Why Jaxson Dart Is Already Proving the Giants Made the Right Call

Say whatever you want about the New York Giants and their recent history of making huge draft selections that have whiffed on the expectations, but at least the franchise hasn’t been afraid to pull the trigger on pursuing a player they really believe in.

That was the scenario that played out in the 2025 NFL Draft, when the Giants were among a few teams caught up in the market for a franchise quarterback after the Daniel Jones era was deemed a failure.

The class’s core pieces were largely not projected to be high first-round prospects, making it a stretch for the Giants to take one at their initial No. 3 spot and only making sense if they were lucky to get the top guy in Cam Ward, who ultimately went at No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans.

Thus, the Giants went with the “best available player” approach, choosing Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter with the third pick, and not long after, a prime opportunity to move back up the board and pair him with a rookie signal-caller they loved arose.

Pushed by the confidence from then-head coach Brian Daboll, the Giants grabbed it by the horns, jumping to No. 25 in the first round via a trade with the Houston Texans, selecting Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart to come under Daboll’s wing and grow into the future leader of the team’s offense.

After 14 starts with Dart under center, New York’s hopes for the young gunslinger appear to have brought promising early returns as the 23-year-old flashed a tough dual-threat skill set and fearlessness that were important to putting his team in greater positions to win football games.

The Giants didn’t wind up conquering many of their 2025 opponents, but the organization still had to leave the 4-13 stint feeling optimistic about Dart's continued development as a long-term answer under John Harbaugh’s coaching staff.

What if the Giants weren’t so lucky to grab the one prospect whom most might deem the best from his class? Bleacher Report’s 2025 NFL redraft certainly sees the outcome differently a second time around, with the Giants addressing their quarterback need much earlier with a different face.

Would Tyler Shough Have Made the Giants a Better Team Last Season?

New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough (6) looks for a receiver during the third quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In the re-draft, the Cleveland Browns, who originally traded their No. 2 pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who selected Colorado cornerback Travis Hunter, held onto their choice and instead stole Jaxson Dart to fill their own long-term quarterback spot.

The Browns’ shift in direction meant two passers were off the board in consecutive picks, and the Giants had to react to ensure they didn’t miss out on solving their gap under center. They landed with Louisville’s Tyler Shough in the next turn, who wasn’t chosen until No. 40 by the New Orleans Saints on the second day of the actual draft.

The outlet’s analysis of the Giants’ new pick seemed to suggest they would have been just as well off, if not better, with Shough as their heir apparent, but a deeper look into him and Dart’s 2025 resumes leaves us pushing back on that bold thought.

Sure, Shough, who came into the league as the class’s oldest quarterback prospect at 27 years old and with less flashy weapons than Dart has in New York, finished as the most efficient thrower in his debut season, completing 221 of his 327 attempts for 2,384 yards through the air in 11 starts.

Perhaps his extra two years of college experience helped him be more prepared for dissecting NFL defenses at the next level than his competitors, but it didn’t always translate when he needed to thread the needle near the end zone, where he had just 10 touchdown passes along with another three scores collected with his legs.

In fact, the Saints, who finished 13th in the league in total passing yards, ranked just 26th in passing touchdowns tallied and owned the sport’s worst red-zone scoring percentage (44.4%) compared to the Giants’ 24th and 27th placements in those same categories.

Dart, whose overall stat line finished directly behind Shough’s with 2,272 passing yards for 15 touchdowns and five interceptions and was coupled with another 487 yards and nine scores on the ground, clearly built the case as the more impactful player within that region of the field, as he was sparked by a desire to put his team on top no matter the means.

Where one could argue his numbers were held back by Shough’s was his numerous blue tent visits, which shortened the time he might have spent on the field earning more production.

Dart also lost his No. 1 target in Malik Nabers to injury during his first start and dealt with a lot of untimely drops (24) from the rest of his supporting cast that cost the Giants more scores and became a bad trend that they need to buck in the 2026 season.

Another area where Dart put himself above Shough was deep passing, as he wasn’t afraid to let it fly down the hashmarks. He ranked third among rookie quarterbacks and one notch above the Saints’ gunslinger with 16 completions of 20+ air yards for 466 yards, four of his 15 passing touchdowns and 14 attempts deemed as “big time throws.”

Even Dart’s four victories were arguably more impressive than Shough’s. The difference may have come from the Saints’ defense forcing five turnovers to defeat the Giants in a stunner in Week 5, but the former had to earn three of his wins over opponents with either stout defenses (Chargers) or elite offenses (Eagles, Cowboys) that could pile on the points on any given Sunday.

New York Giants QB Jaxson Dart — Jun 9, 2026; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) throws a pass during the minicamp activities at Quest Diagnostics Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Salus-Imagn Images | Thomas Salus-Imagn Images

Shough wasn’t put through the same wringer, earning four of his five wins against the Panthers, Jets and Titans, three organizations with subpar records and lackluster talent on both sides of the ball that made stealing a few extra contests a little easier.

In the end, football is a business and emphasizes wins. Shough might have the leg up by one victory heading into 2026, but the projection of which guy will perform at a higher rate for a longer window feels like it will lean towards Dart as he keeps molding as a pocket passer under the tutelage of John Harbaugh.

So while it’s fun to play the hindsight game when it comes to key first-round selections like a franchise quarterback, the Giants have more than enough reason so far to feel glad the draft board went the way it did last spring.

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