Becoming a franchise quarterback in the National Football League these days is not a solo effort. Many a talented passer has struggled and many have even busted. As they say, sometimes it’s not where you’re drafted as much as it is who drafts you.
For 2025 first-round pick Jaxson Dart, he believes he’s landed in the right place with the New York Giants and their head coach Brian Daboll.
Dart and Daboll have become attached at the hip since the Giants traded up for him in the 2025 NFL draft two weeks ago. At the team’s rookie minicamp on Friday, Dart spoke about how Daboll has been hands-on from the start.
“He coaches me up like every second I’m around him,” Dart told reporters on Friday. “He’s the guy that will walk in a room, say goodbye and whatnot, and then he’ll come back 30 seconds later because he has an idea. So, he’s constantly coaching me, and I think that’s what I want to be around. I want to be coached the hardest, and I feel like that’s going to help me excel at the highest level and help me reach my potential. So, there’s not another coach I’d rather be playing for.”
Dart said that during the pre-draft period, it was the Giants who drilled him the hardest. He was prepared when the Giants called him in for his visit.
“I kind of had an idea coming into it, that I had to make sure that I was on my P’s and Q’s when I walked in. So, it was super fun. I think that at the same time, me and him (Daboll) were able to just form an organic relationship,” he said.
It’s been just two weeks, but Dart, who is expected to be weaned and brought along slowly behind veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, has already begun to form his niche. He’ll wait his turn, which might come sooner than many think.
Daboll has promised to be patient, as he was with Josh Allen in Buffalo, but Dart could speed up that learning cycle.
The relationship between coach and quarterback is off to a strong start. The two couldn’t be more pleased.
“I’m blessed to be here. I’m blessed to be able to be coached by him, and I think that we just kind of click personality-wise of how we handle things and kind of just our competitive nature, our toughness, and our grit about how we go about things. I think that that just helped us connect,” Dart said.
“And he sees football the same way that I see it. And we see it as a physical and tough sport. And I think that a lot of times you don’t really see that a ton with quarterbacks. And for me, I kind of play it like a defensive player, a little bit with just the way that I attack each and everything I do.”
After just one day, the Giants have to be especially pleased with Dart, who also showed out in 7-on-7s.
