The New York Giants selected Abdul Carter third overall from the Penn State Nittany Lions in the 2025 NFL Draft. However, the Giants were not done on Thursday night after that selection.
Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
New York traded up from the 34th pick in the second-round to the 25th overall pick with the Houston Texans in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Giants selected quarterback Jaxson Dart from the Ole Miss Rebels rather than selecting Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders in that pick. It surprised a lot of people, but New York is happy to have Dart. The Giants also traded away the 99th overall pick in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft and also a third-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to the Texans for that pick.
NFL Insider Reveals Why the New York Giants Traded Up For Jaxson Dart
It was not a surprise that the Giants were trying to move back into the first-round of the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday night. Jordan Schultz, an NFL insider for Fox Sports talked about on his Twitter page why New York decided to trade back into the first-round for Dart. Schultz said,
“Culture builder and competitor —reminiscent of Josh Allen in terms of guys wanting to play for him. He may be 21 years old, but leads like he’s 35. Elite leadership skills: Dart was a key cog helping Lane Kiffin recruit the portal at Ole Miss — watching film, making phone calls, texting, organizing dinners. Giants felt “even more comfortable with Dart once the helmet came off.” Commands a room. Brian Daboll quickly realized Dart had the “heater” in his arsenal. Arm is more than strong enough. Comparable to Bo Nix in terms of downfield touch throws. “Has to win at everything. Not just football. Can be a card game, ping-pong, pickleball, basketball, Cherades, doesn’t matter. The dude has to win.””
Dart will most likely sit his first season in the NFL. Russell Wilson be the starting quarterback and Jameis Winston will be the backup quarterback. With this selection, it should buy general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll some more time from owner John Mara.
This is not the first time that New York traded up for a quarterback in a draft. The Giants traded with the Los Angeles Chargers for the number one overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft for Eli Manning. He also played for the Rebels in college football.
Dart is 6’2″ and weighs 225 lbs. During the 2024 college football season with Ole Miss, he completed 69.3% of his passes for 4,279 yards, 29 touchdowns, and six interceptions. It will be interesting to see how long Dart sits for on the bench during the 2025 NFL season.
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