“Extremely frustrating” and “frequently disconnected” were just two of the unflattering descriptions of Jaxson Dart made by a prominent NFL analyst, but New York Giants right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor is having none of the criticism of his young quarterback.
Eluemuor responded to the brutal take about Dart’s inconsistent mechanics from ESPN’s Ben Solak by keeping things equally blunt. The veteran offensive lineman simply posted, “No one cares about ESPN reporters anymore.”
This rough, but simple statement of defiance is more than just a teammate standing up for his QB1. As blunt as Solak was taking Dart to task, even comparing him to a notable NFL draft bust, Eluemunor has been just as bold predicting the heights Dart will reach in the pros.
The stark contrast in how Solak and Eluemunor view Dart only underscores how polarizing last year’s first-round pick has quickly become.
Jaxson Dart Generates Only Strong Opinions
Whether it’s his decision to front a campaign event for U.S. President Donald Trump, or his cavalier response to taking risks and extra hits on the field, Dart only prompts strong reactions and continues to divide opinion.
The split is the result of an outspoken personality and a dynamic playing style. How the latter lands Dart in trouble was Solak’s main focus.
He believes Dart’s overall process for playing football’s most important position “simply isn’t good.” It’s a direct indictment not only of how Dart approaches the game mentality, but also how he chooses to employ his physical traits.
One way the former Ole Miss star still loves to beat defenses is by making “off-time throws from bad platforms, according to Solak. Unfortunately, the latter also pointed out how “on pressured dropbacks, Dart was a downfield thrower, as his 11.4 air yards per attempt led the league. But he was dead last in completion percentage there, and he was below average in both dropback success rate and EPA per dropback. He did scramble a ton (15.8%), but he also got sacked a ton (25.2%). There was enough juice to make a nice highlight reel, but it often wasn’t worth the squeeze.”
It would be easy to wholeheartedly endorse Solak’s take if other key metrics didn’t support Dart’s upside. Numbers like a key stat that shows the 23-year-old already has the clutch gene in the most important part of the field.
The irony is there’s simply no middle ground when evaluating Dart, but that’s exactly where the truth about his potential likely resides. Maybe he won’t be the league’s best quarterback like Eluemunor claims, but he also has a good chance to avoid the draft bust comparisons made by Solak.
It will help if Eluemunor and the rest of the starters up front successfully handle a few key transitions this season.
Jermaine Eluemunor, Giants O-Line Facing Critical Change
Eluemunor has the right tackle spot to himself, while All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas is elite when healthy. The two bookends, along with 2026 NFL draft first-round pick, beefy guard Francis ‘Sisi’ Mauigoa, provide the ideal platform to better protect Dart and allow him to grow in a more efficient, quarterback-friendly system designed by new offensive coordinator Matt Nagy.
GettyEluemunor (72) must keep Dart clean to help make a more pocket-based offense work.
He’s adding new wrinkles to help Dart make quick reads and respect the confines of the pocket more often. Doing the latter will give Dart the chance to make more on-platform throws and clean up the mechanical faults Solak identified, but the process requires trust.
Specifically, Dart has to trust the protection in front of him to hold up long enough so he can resist his natural urge to run and chase big rewards from broken plays.
Trust will be easier to acquire the more Dart gets to lean on a prolific ground attack. One that also requires Eluemunor and his fellow blockers to make a critical change, in this case adapting to the power-based techniques preferred by veteran run-game coordinator Greg Roman.
Heavy doses of power-style runs from a meaner backfield duo will not only reduce the need for Dart to trust his legs. It will also create the play-action opportunities a talented, but raw signal-caller needs to become more accurate through the air.
Mastering this two-pronged approach is the best way for Eleumunor and Co. to help Dart emphatically answer his critics.
Giants Starter Lashes Out at Jaxson Dart Criticism