The New York Giants didn’t have many positives to hang their hat on throughout the 2025 season, but quarterback Jaxson Dart was certainly one of them.
The 25th overall pick in last April’s draft was a revelation for New York and wasn’t even expected to see the field much in his rookie season.
Instead, he was inserted as the starter in Week 4, and besides the few games he missed with a concussion later in the season, Dart looked the part of a franchise quarterback in most of his starts.
Bleacher Report’s Brett Sobleski seems to think so, too, as his re-draft of the 2025 NFL Draft indicates that Dart was the best player in the entire class.
Jaxson Dart Goes 1.01 in 2025 NFL Draft Re-Draft
Instead of opting for Cam Ward with the first overall pick, Sobleski instead has the Tennessee Titans selecting Dart as their franchise savior, to the dismay of New York Giants fans.
“Cam Ward flashed at times after being the top selection. Though the Titans go in a different direction since Dart’s playmaking ability, when healthy, presented some wow moments. Two things separated Dart from the rest of the quarterbacks in the most recent class,” wrote Sobleski.
“First, he’s a natural playmaker as a passer and runner. Granted, the latter placed him in some difficult positions during his first season, but Dart should learn to protect himself as his career progresses. Second, he’s a year younger than Ward and nearly four years younger than Tyler Shough, which gives him an edge to become the new No. 1 pick.”
Dart, being reimagined here as the No. 1 overall pick, proves just how good he was in his rookie season with the Giants.
Ward certainly displayed some traits throughout his rookie season that are worth building upon, but he didn’t pop as much as Dart did.
The former Miami quarterback completed 59.8% of his passes in 2025 for 3,169 yards, 15 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. It wasn’t an alarming first season, but it’s not like he’s in consideration for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Dart, on the otherhand, is in contention to take home OROY honors. He completed 63.7% of his passes for 2,272 yards to go along with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions.
His added value was his athleticism, as the Ole Miss product ran the ball 86 times for 487 yards and nine touchdowns.
Giants Pivot Towards Different QB in Re-Draft
So, if not Dart, who’s playing quarterback for the New York Giants in this hypothetical re-draft?
Passing on Abdul Carter at No. 3, the Giants opt to select Louisville product and real-life New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough.
“Shough is already 26 years old. For the quarterback position, age doesn’t matter as much. Still, a multiple-year difference between him and the two names slotted first and second overall is difficult to completely overlook. Aside from age, he originally fell into the second round because of an extensive injury history throughout his collegiate career,” continued Sobleski.
“He remained healthy in 2025, but that concern hasn’t disappeared. Finally, the Giants make their move here knowing they wouldn’t get Dart later in the first round. New York needed a quarterback of the future and got one. It’s just a different one upon a second look.”
Despite losing out on Dart, New York does get a quarterback, and a promising one at that.
Shough only started the final nine games of the season for the Saints, but looked good and showed upside when in action.
The 26-year-old rookie completed 67.6% of his passes for 2,384 yards to go along with 10 touchdowns and six interceptions.
He doesn’t have the athletic upside that Dart has, but is still a promising quarterback prospect nonetheless.
Instead, Giants fans can sit back and relax after knowing their young signal caller was considered valuable enough to be picked No. 1 overall in a re-draft of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Big Blue’s quarterback position is in good hands.
2025 NFL Re-Draft Proves Just How Good Jaxson Dart Was as a Rookie