Brian Daboll makes definitive statement on Jaxson Dart's role with Giants after NFL Draft selection

The New York Giants’ quarterback room is suddenly very crowded. Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston and Tommy DeVito were already on the roster heading into Thursday’s Round 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft. Then, the Giants traded back into the first round to select Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart with the No. 25 overall pick.

But head coach Brian Daboll has a plan. Speaking with reporters, Daboll said that Wilson “will be our starter” as they begin OTAs. Winston is next in line while Dart will sit and develop behind both veterans.

“That will play out. Russ will be our starter. That is how it will be once we get started here in the spring,” Daboll said, via Jordan Raanan of ESPN. “Look, the process of developing a quarterback is just that. So, we’re going to do everything we can to develop [Dart] and bring him along.”

On paper, it’s a good situation for Dart. He gets to sit behind a Super Bowl champion like Wilson who has seen everything there is to see in the NFL. At the same time, he has the opportunity to work with one of the more respected play callers around the league in Daboll.

Giants aggressive at NFL Draft, trade up to take Jaxson Dart

New York traded up from the second round to secure Dart, giving up the 34th pick, a 2025 third-rounder and a future sixth-round pick to the Houston Texans for pick No. 25. The Giants were going to take a quarterback at some point; it was just of matter of who and when. Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen liked Dart, obviously more than Colorado‘s Shedeur Sanders, and made the move.

“Yeah, again, we went through an extensive process and moved up for Jaxson. We’re fired up to have him,” Schoen said. “At the end of the day, we went through the process, we rank them, this is how we had them ranked and with Jaxson we thought the value matched up.”

Dart put together a decorated career at Ole Miss after transferring from USC. He became the program’s all-time leader in passing yards, breaking Eli Manning’s previous record. In 2024, he led the nation with 10.8 pass yards per attempt while totaling 4,279 yards and 29 touchdowns.

Dart’s numbers improved every year in Oxford under Lane Kiffin’s watch. He threw for 2,974 yards and 29 touchdowns in his first year in 2022 after transferring, and he took a leap forward with 3,364 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2023. That set the stage for his impressive 2024 campaign, and his draft stock took a leap, as well.