The New York Giants did not select a quarterback with the No. 3 overall pick, and when they finally did, it was not the one that people were expecting.
During Thursday’s NFL Draft, the Giants pulled off a surprising move by trading up for pick No. 25. The Giants acquired the pick, which originally belonged to the Houston Texans, for picks No. 34 and No. 99 as well as a 2026 third-round pick. Then at No. 25, the Giants chose former Ole Miss star QB Jaxson Dart.
The decision to trade up for Dart drew plenty of strong reactions online. Many joked about how the Giants were going from Daniel Jones (the last quarterback that they picked in the first round) to Dart, and others focused on the decision to select Dart over Shedeur Sanders (who was once upon a time in the conversation for the Giants to take at No. 3 overall).
The Giants took former Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter at No. 3 overall, which was the obvious choice. They also did a lot of shopping at QB this offseason, signing both Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston in free agency.
But for the Giants to trade up for a quarterback in the first round … and for that quarterback not to be Sanders was pretty staggering. Dart, who threw for an SEC-leading 4,279 yards to go along with 29 touchdowns last season, is certainly plenty talented and had a meteoric rise up draft boards in recent weeks. But few are sold at this point on his ability to be a long-term answer at quarterback for the Giants.
