Tag: Manning

Twenty-one years ago, the Giants drafted a quarterback from Mississippi — Eli Manning — and he wound up bringing them two Super Bowl championships.

Now, they need a franchise quarterback again. Could they find that guy at Ole Miss?

Well, if they do, it would be a much bigger surprise than what Manning accomplished. But Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart — who, like Manning, was a three-year college starter — is generating some buzz leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft.

Remember, the Giants draft third, behind two quarterback-needy teams (Titans and Browns). So Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward could both be gone by No. 3. If that happens, what might Giants general manager Joe Schoen do?

He would have a few options, depending on how he addressed quarterback in free agency (or via a trade). But if he picks a non-Sanders/Ward quarterback at No. 3, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe might be in the mix. He is Pro Football Focus’ fourth-rated quarterback in this draft, behind Ward, Sanders, and Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel (who is 67th overall, one spot higher than Milroe).

Meanwhile, Dart is not particularly well regarded by PFF — 13th among quarterbacks and 202nd overall. (So it’s possible the Giants could trade back from No. 3 and still get him.)

But longtime draft analyst Todd McShay — former of ESPN, now with The Ringer — is high on Dart, for what it’s worth.

Here’s what McShay recently tweeted:

Just wrapped up two tapes on Jaxson Dart (LSU, SC ‘24). Neither were great stat-line gms and LSU was a loss, but a LOT of positive takeaways. His natural ball placement is underrated and he shows a lot of awareness on certain throws. Really excited to share more throughout Senior Bowl week, but don’t be surprised if Dart winds up as QB3 in this class!

As McShay mentioned, there’s still a lot of time before the draft begins on April 24. So a lot can change between now and then — with the Senior Bowl and NFL Scouting Combine still ahead.

The first of three days of Senior Bowl practices happens Tuesday in Mobile, Ala., ahead of the game there Saturday. And Dart is one of the top prospects in Mobile this year.

Here is CBSSports.com’s breakdown of Dart:

Few quarterbacks have the history of production that Dart boasts. Over the course of his career, which began at USC, he has thrown for more than 10,000 yards and 81 touchdowns. Teams will be interested to see how he responds to coaching and how quickly he picks up the offense. Dart will be in that conversation to be the third quarterback off the board.

Dart is on the American team’s roster for the Senior Bowl. Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka is the head coach for the National team. Four other Giants assistants are coaching in Mobile this week. Most notably, running backs coach Joel Thomas is the American team’s offensive coordinator. So he’ll get a chance to have some serious exposure to Dart.

Milroe also is on the American team, while Gabriel is on the National team. Those are the three most notable quarterbacks in Mobile this week, though you could probably also throw in Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard, who is sixth among quarterbacks on PFF’s big board.