What the Jaxson Dart pick means for Brian Daboll, Joe Schoen

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Giants selected Penn State star Abdul Carter with the third overall pick in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night. Who knows, Carter could be their next Lawrence Taylor, a pass rushing menace who headlines the defense for years to come.

It still wasn't the main headline for the Giants. That belonged to quarterback Jaxson Dart, the player they traded up to take with the No. 25 overall pick.

Shedeur Sanders, at one point the favorite to go third overall to the Giants, wasn't selected in the first round at all. Dart, who multiple sources said in the leadup to the draft was the quarterback of choice for coach Brian Daboll, impressed the Giants throughout the process with his demeanor in meetings, work on the board and workouts.

"Yeah, again, we went through an extensive process and moved up for Jaxson. We're fired up to have him," general manager Joe Schoen said. "At the end of the day, we went through the process, we rank them, this is how we had them ranked and with Jaxson we thought the value matched up."

Dart, an Ole Miss product, is positioned to be the Giants' quarterback of the future. That's an important piece for Daboll and Schoen considering owner John Mara said solidifying the most pivotal position on the roster was the team's top priority this offseason. Now it's about putting the 21-year-old in a developmental program that could help save the franchise and everyone's jobs.

This is what they brought Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka to New York for in the first place back in 2022. Daboll was instrumental in the development of Josh Allen in Buffalo and Kafka has been credited with playing a key role in the growth of a young Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City.

Schoen and Daboll hadn't drafted a quarterback in each of their first three drafts. Instead their big quarterback move was signing Daniel Jones to an ill-fated contract extension after 2022. Jones was benched and eventually cut by the Giants last season.

Schoen and Daboll have certainly delivered on Mara's goal to revamp the quarterback room. First they signed Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston in free agency while retaining Tommy DeVito, who may now be the odd-man out. They then added the final piece to the puzzle in Dart, who immediately becomes the most important player for the franchise's future.

In the meantime, the Giants were adamant that Wilson remains the starter after signing with the team this offseason. Winston is next in line while Dart will have to wait.

"That will play out. Russ will be our starter. That is how it will be once we get started here in the spring," Daboll said. "Look, the process of developing a quarterback is just that. So we're going to do everything we can to develop [Dart] and bring him along."

It's possible that Dart doesn't even get on the field this season. That might not matter in relation to Schoen and Daboll's futures. If the Giants can improve on a 3-14 campaign and they have a potential future franchise quarterback to sell, that could be enough to buy them time.

Would Mara really want the young quarterback to start over in Year 2 with a new offensive scheme and coaches? Unlikely, considering that is what he once said messed up Daniel Jones.

The difference this time around was the Giants, again with multiple picks in the first round, took the blue-chip player first in Carter and waited patiently before making a move for Dart. They didn't start looking to trade up until pick No. 23, even though many thought the Pittsburgh Steelers were a threat to select a quarterback at 21. (The Steelers ultimately landed on Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon.)

Schoen said, on Thursday night, he didn't want to part with the Giants' first third-round pick (No. 65), so he waited and swung the deal for the cost of a second-round selection (34), their second third-rounder (99) and a 2026 third-round pick to the Houston Texans for pick No. 25 and the right to select Dart.

The Giants decided that Dart -- the young man from Utah who attended the same high school as Zach Wilson -- had what it takes to be the next face of the franchise in New York.

Dart is confident he's built for it all.

"No doubt!" he said emphatically, drawing chuckles from the room over Dart's exuberance.

The Giants, Schoen and Daboll sure hope this is their guy. They bet big on that belief.

"I just feel like I got an edge to me," Dart said. "I feel like everybody in the city does as well. Let's get to it."