"Joe Schoen's daughter goes to Ole Miss" - Peter Schrager reveals why Giants drafted Jaxson Dart in long list of reasons

The New York Giants’s decision to draft quarterback Jaxson Dart in the first round Thursday was influenced by long-term familiarity. Per NFL insider Peter Schrager, General Manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll have closely followed Ole Miss Rebels over the past two years, partly as Schoen’s daughter attends the university.

“Daboll knows him inside and out. Joe Schoen’s daughter goes to Ole Miss. Schoen has been around Ole Miss football for two years. This one is something that they’ve always had in their back pocket; a guy they have always liked,” Schrager said on ESPN.

The Giants selected Dart 25th overall in a trade with the Texans. In exchange, they gave up the 34th and 99th picks and a 2026 third-rounder. Jaxson Dart became the second QB taken off the board in the 2025 NFL draft after Cam Ward.

Daboll cited Dart’s toughness, athleticism and decision-making as key traits. The team had tracked him since May 2024, and momentum grew earlier this week. Schoen said internal conversations picked up once it became clear the 21-year-old may not reach their original second-round spot. After Pittsburgh passed on a QB at No. 21 (taking Oregon’s Derrick Harmon), New York secured a deal.

Joe Schoen said the team had prepared for several scenarios ahead of time.

"We went through all these scenarios before the day started, what were going to do at three and then at what point [we'd trade]. There are 31 other teams, and sometimes we assume everybody sees things the way we do, and that's not always the case,” he noted.

The Giants had not traded back into the first round since 2023. Their move to secure Jaxson Dart was built on months of scouting, internal alignment and familiarity with the player’s development.

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Gregg Giannotti rips Giants' pick, calls Jaxson Dart a “pudgy Utah clapper”

WFAN radio host Gregg Giannotti strongly criticized the New York Giants’s first-round pick - Jaxson Dart - during Friday’s morning show. He directed his remarks at a caller who supported the pick, accusing him of blindly defending Giants quarterbacks.

Giannotti admitted to not watching Dart play at Ole Miss but insisted that performance at the college level was not necessary for forming an opinion, referencing past QBs like Zach Wilson.

“He’s a pudgy, Utah clapper. ‘How many games at Ole Miss?’ I don’t need to watch any games at Ole Miss! How many games at BYU did I watch Zach Wilson play? Zero and I knew he was gonna s*ck! And he did!”

Jaxson Dart joins Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston as the quarterbacks in New York. With veteran options available, he may not be rushed into action right away.