The New York Giants have an eclectic mix of players competing for their starting quarterback job, though naturally fans have a great deal of curiosity about the most inexperienced of the bunch, rookie Jaxson Dart.
On Saturday following the first day of Giants rookie minicamp, head coach Brian Daboll offered his positive first impressions of the Giants’ No. 24 overall selection in last month’s NFL Draft.
Speaking about the signal-caller’s poise on Day 1, Daboll said, “There’s nobody rushing him. He did what he was supposed to do. He was prepared. He put a lot of time and effort into it. I got a lot of appreciation for how he’s gone about — in a short amount of time — his business.
“What we’ve asked him to do and how he’s gone about his business as a young pro at that position is important.”
The former Ole Miss star has the advantage of significant collegiate experience, where he played in 45 games over four seasons, including 13 in each of the last three years in Oxford, Miss.
His final year was his most productive. He set career highs in completion percentage (69.3 percent), yards (4,279) and touchdowns (29) while chipping in 495 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
Dart now has to compete with two former high draft picks and experienced starters in Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, while the Giants also still have Tommy DeVito, who has started eight games in New York, on the roster too.
Daboll sees some of the qualities in Dart that are necessary to compete, but he also cautions that it’s very early in the process.
“I think he’s got some natural leadership qualities,” Daboll said. “The biggest thing that you usually try to get out of a rookie camp, at least where I’ve been and I’ve worked for is kind of get to know (the players).
“It’s very, very introductory … kind of just starting at the beginning of the alphabet here.”
When asked by reporters about some of the team’s other high-profile rookies, Daboll had no trouble pointing to the positives. He described No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter as a “good kid” who is conscientious with a good attitude. He added that fourth-round selection Cam Skattebo is conscientious as well.
“I like the young guys we have, and I look forward to working with them,” Daboll said.
