In quarterback Jaxson Dart, the New York Giants finally have what they hope is a long-term answer to consistently pushing the ball downfield, an element of the passing game that has yet to be run consistently in head coach Brian Daboll’s offense.
But as has widely been discussed, the Giants, in bringing in veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, plan to give Dart as much of a redshirt year as possible so that when he is named the starter moving forward, he’s not only fully acclimated to life in the NFL but also comfortable running all aspects of the offense’s playbook.
ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid believes that once Dart gets into the driver’s seat on the Giants offense, it might not be long before he’s the league leader in deep pass attempts of 20+ air yards.
“Dart was second in the FBS with 35 completions of 20-plus air yards, which was a big part of Ole Miss' high-octane air attack,” Reid noted.
“That ability to deliver the ball to the deeper parts of the field will add another layer to Daboll's playbook and allow the Giants to get even more out of (receiver) Malik Nabers and the rest of their pass catchers.”
According to NFL Pro, last season, the Giants ranked 31st in the league in deep pass attempts of 20+ air yards, averaging just 21.4 yards on those deep pass attempts, this despite the Giants having been blitzed 27.3% of the time on such attempts (20th in the league).
As a side note, ESPN’s fantasy football expert Mike Clay believes that at some point this season, Dart will get on the field to post some stats. Clay projects Dart to record 1,991 passing yards, 10 touchdown passes, and eight interceptions, and 184 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
For those projections to have a realistic chance of happening, Dart would have to be inserted as the starter around mid-season for that to happen. For comparison purposes, Eli Manning, who started seven games during his 2004 rookie campaign, finished with 1,043 yards and six touchdown passes, to go along with six rushing attempts for 35 yards on the ground.
Whether Dart enters the starting lineup around the same time Manning did will depend on how the season is progressing, the health of the two veteran quarterbacks ahead of him on the depth chart, and Dart’s own readiness.
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