The Making of a Franchise QB: Jaxson Dart
August 23, 2025
The Giants snagged their hopeful quarterback of the future at 25th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft and gave their fans a first look right away in preseason week 1. I’ll be honest, I didn’t have much hope for that pick, it didn’t feel like he could become the type of player that can be a difference maker at the next level. Boy, do I feel wrong so far. We get it, it’s only the preseason. But you have to like the things you saw, the weapons he’ll have available in Malik Nabers, and the overall situation where he won’t be forced to immediately step in and be the hero.
It started immediately in week 1, Dart came out firing with no panic. He was able to display his athleticism without relying on it, able to move around but keep his eyes downfield looking for a target. The big WOW moment was hitting Lil Jordan Humphrey on a deep ball for a touchdown. After that, he seemed even more comfortable and ended up finishing the day with decent numbers. Week 2 was more of the same and week 3 is where it really felt like we saw everything come together.
The comfort level against the Patriots was absurd. We saw Dart move around, any shred of happy feet was now gone. He confidently looked through coverage, processed what he was seeing and worked through multiple reads. I didn’t become a believer until his week 3 performance. What he showed was that he has the makings of a franchise quarterback. The ability to process and quickly work through reads at the NFL level is a special gift that not everyone has. After all of these years of being forced to watch Daniel Jones, I almost thought it just couldn’t happen for Big Blue.
My one small complaint is that he was too eager to make plays at times when he would take off and opened himself up to big hits. I’m sure the coaches will clean that up quickly and get him to slide. Those extra 3-5 yards in the NFL aren’t worth potentially losing your QB for the season.
Overall I think Giants fans should be very optimistic about what’s to come for their team. They have a bridge guy in Russell Wilson which puts no pressure on Dart to be rushed onto the field while also allowing him to develop at his own pace. The arrow appears to finally be pointing up in New York, at least for one of their teams.
Keith, Author
Keith runs youth flag football leagues by day, and by night he hosts the podcast and writes articles with the confidence of a man who’s been rushing quarterbacks since dial-up. A longtime flag football DE and lifelong Falcons fan, he’s no stranger to heartbreak and enjoys watching the bears get slaughtered each week. Equal parts coach, critic, and chaos, Keith calls it like he sees it… even if it hurts.
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