Jaxson Dart Reportedly Preferred Over Shedeur Sanders by Giants in 2025 NFL Draft

The New York Giants reportedly have Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart ranked ahead of Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders on their draft board.

During an appearance Thursday on Get Up, ESPN's Dan Graziano said the Giants prefer Dart over Sanders as the top quarterback in the draft outside of Miami's Cam Ward after doing their due diligence on the position.

“The Giants, for example, have done all kinds of work on all these guys," Graziano said. "They've studied Shedder Sanders, they've studied Jaxson Dart, they've had private workouts. My understanding, as of last night in making these phone calls, is that the Giants have kind of settled on Dart as their preference in terms of the non-Cam Ward quarterbacks in this draft. So now it's a question of, what do you have to do to get him? Can you sit at 34 and expect him to still be there? Or do you get antsy if you're the Giants and think about maybe making that trade up?”

While the Giants are not expected to take a quarterback with the third overall pick provided Ward goes first overall to the Tennessee Titans, Graziano speculated that New York could potentially trade back into the end of the first round to take Dart if he makes it there.

At the start of the pre-draft process, Ward and Sanders were seemingly vying to be the first quarterback off the board, while Dart was viewed as more of a Day 2 prospect with an outside chance to get himself in the first-round conversation.

The 21-year-old Dart is among the most experienced quarterbacks in the draft, as he appeared in 45 games and made 41 starts over four collegiate seasons at USC and Ole Miss.

Dart was at his best last season, setting career highs with a completion percentage of 69.3 percent, plus 4,279 passing yards and 29 touchdowns to go along with only six interceptions.

He showcased his dual-threat ability as well, rushing for 495 yards and three scores for an Ole Miss team that went 10-3.

Sanders was excellent in his own right, leading the Buffaloes to a 9-4 record and completing 74.0 percent of his passing attempts for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions en route to being named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.

However, Sanders is an older prospect at 23, which suggests the Giants may view Dart as the player with a higher ceiling.

At No. 3 overall, the Giants figure to take whoever is still on the board between Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter and Penn State pass-rusher Abdul Carter, although ESPN's Peter Schrager reported Wednesday that the Giants have been having "fluid conversations" about their options at No. 3, including a possible trade down.

After going 3-14 last season, the Giants have numerous holes to fill, and trading them would give them additional assets and all the ammo they need to move freely around the draft board.

As of now, the Giants' second pick in the draft is at No. 34, and since it is an early second-round pick, it is very much within the realm of possibility that they could move up slightly or stand pat at No. 34 and land Dart.

The Giants are relatively set at quarterback this season with veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston in the fold, creating a solid environment for a young quarterback like Dart to learn for a year before potentially taking over as the starter.