There was some speculation about the Giants jumping back into the first round as they pursued a QB, and the front office has made that a reality. Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports that the team has acquired pick No. 25 from the Texans. The Giants will use their new pick to select Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart.
Full trade details:
Giants acquire:
- 2025 first-round pick (No. 25)
Texans acquire:
- 2025 second-round pick (No. 34)
- 2025 third-round pick (No. 99)
- 2026 third-round pick
With the Titans committed to Cam Ward at No. 1, holding there despite multiple Giants offers (one of which including the team’s 2026 first-round pick), Big Blue pivoted to the draft’s second wave of QBs. The team did extensive homework on some of the draft’s other top passing prospects. That included Dart, but it also included Shedeur Sanders, who was generally considered the second-best player at his position.
There was some speculation that a team could make a move up the draft board to select the Colorado product early in the first round, and there was some belief that the Giants could even ignore the draft’s blue chip prospects and simply use No. 3 on Sanders. Instead, Sanders — after a report the Giants were split on the two-year Colorado starter — ended up falling all the way to No. 25, and the Giants made the move…to select Dart.
It’s a pretty stunning development, but it may not be as much of an indictment on Sanders as it is a vote of confidence for Dart. The Ole Miss product recently came up as a player Brian Daboll liked, and the prospect quickly evolved from a potential Day 2 pick into a potential Day 1 pick throughout the pre-draft process. Daboll-Dart connections had developed for a bit leading up to the draft, and the fourth-year HC may well be staking his job on the SEC prospect — after Dave Gettleman-era draftee Daniel Jones defined the first three years of Daboll and GM Joe Schoen‘s tenure.
Dart had three strong seasons at Ole Miss, but he took it to another level in 2024. The prospect finished the campaign having completed 69.3 percent of his passes for 4,279 yards, 29 touchdowns, and only six interceptions. Dart also continued to show some ability on the ground, compiling 495 rushing yards on 124 carries. Thanks to an impressive showing at the Senior Bowl, Dart separated himself from the likes of Quinn Ewers and Jalen Milroe…and he apparently did enough to jump Sanders on the draft board.
Dart, 22 in May, will now join a Giants squad that was clearly hunting for a future signal caller. The Giants obviously believe in Dart’s ability considering the investment, but with Daboll and Schoen on the hot seat, leadership may not be inclined to immediately toss the rookie into the starting lineup.
The Jones era came to an end last season, and Tommy DeVito is the only holdover from the former QB grouping. Since free agency started, the team added a pair of notable veterans in Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, and both of those players will surely sit above their new rookie teammate on the depth chart. Wilson notably only inked a one-year contract with New York, and while Winston’s deal is for two seasons, Dart could have a pathway to a starting gig in 2026. Whether the current regime is around to see it remains to be seen.
This is an eight-pick trade, the largest of this draft thus far. The Panthers will pick up Nos. 51, 85, 122 and 208; the Broncos will obtain Nos. 57, 74, 111 and 230. With the pick, Carolina is choosing Texas A&M edge rusher Nic Scourton.
