Reporter names 'best thing' he saw from Jaxson Dart during Giants rookie minicamp

Quarterback and first-round draft pick Jaxson Dart was understandably the most examined player who participated in the New York Giants' rookie minicamp that wrapped up over the weekend. 

For an article published on Sunday, NFL insider Connor Hughes of SNY touched upon how Dart looked during his first noteworthy throwing sessions as a pro.

"The best thing you can say about Dart is there was an undeniable confidence in his play," Hughes explained. "He looked comfortable and in control. I’ve covered rookie camps every year dating back to 2015 (absent the COVID season). I’ve lost track of the number of young quarterbacks (draft picks, undrafted, tryouts) I’ve seen throw. They’re almost always jittery. You’ll see them hitch because they’re not trusting their eyes. They’ll force the issue. They’ll sail passes because they’re nervous. You didn’t get that with Dart. That impressed me."

Giants general manager Joe Schoen made Penn State pass-rusher Abdul Carter the third overall pick of this year's draft before Schoen traded back into the first round to grab Dart at pick No. 25. It's now known that Schoen truly wanted Miami's Cam Ward over Dart, but the Tennessee Titans ultimately took Ward with the first overall choice of the draft. 

Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll plan to start either Russell Wilson or Jameis Winston over Dart through much, if not all, of the upcoming season. However, Schoen theoretically could see if the New Orleans Saints have any interest in Winston if Dart looks like a revelation by the time the preseason comes to an end. 

Winston was with the Saints from 2020 through the 2023 campaign, but New Orleans could start rookie Tyler Shough following the retirement of Derek Carr. 

"He also very clearly has arm talent," Hughes added about Dart. "It was interesting watching him next to tryout quarterbacks Sammy Edwards and Myles Crawley because there was a very clear difference. He has a unique throwing motion, but there’s no lack of zip on his passes. He threw mostly passes within 15 yards of the line of scrimmage. They were impressive fastballs. As Dart develops, he’ll learn to control that. You don’t always need to give every pass everything you have. You want to throw the cliche catchable ball."

As of Monday morning, FanDuel Sportsbook listed Wilson as a massive -1600 betting favorite to be the Giants' Week 1 starting quarterback over Dart (+1200 odds). That said, Wilson went down last summer with a lingering calf issue that prevented him from making his official Pittsburgh Steelers debut until Week 7 of the season. It's unclear how Schoen and Daboll would respond if Wilson were to suffer some sort of injury at any point from the start of training camp through late August. 

"Dart had a perfectly fine showing during rookie minicamp," Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com noted for a piece posted on Monday. "Which beats the alternative. But he still has a long way to go. Remember that."