Giants' Deciding Factor Between Shedeur Sanders, Jaxson Dart Reportedly Revealed

The New York Giants' infatuation with Jaxson Dart over Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 NFL draft stemmed from how the Mississippi standout performed throughout the entire evaluation process.

Per ESPN's Jordan Raanan, Giants officials came away from their various in-person meetings with Dart very impressed with his acumen compared to Sanders.

Raanan noted Dart and Sanders had supporters within the organization when they began their evaluation, but the shift toward Dart came when Sanders "struggled" with answers to questions from head coach Brian Daboll over an install:

"Multiple sources told ESPN several weeks later that they spoke to individuals in the Giants organization who said they were lukewarm on Sanders. It started becoming apparent a week before the draft they were more interested in Dart. He was Daboll's quarterback of choice, a source said days before the draft."

In the phone call posted on social media by the Giants, general manager Joe Schoen is heard telling Dart he "dominated the entire process" with them.

According to Raanan, the Giants met with Dart three different times prior to the draft, starting at the scouting combine in February. They also had him at their facilities in early March, then held a private workout in Mississippi prior to the school's pro day toward the end of the month.

Virtually every key decision-maker for the Giants was at the private workout, including Daboll, Schoen, offensive coordinator Mike Kafka and quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney, per Raanan.

The Giants did hold private workouts with several quarterbacks, including Sanders, in the final week before the draft. It seemed like odd timing since teams would generally have their boards largely set by that point, but Schoen explained it by citing the draft happening earlier than normal and Colorado having a late pro day on April 4.

It's not a secret the Giants weren't thrilled with how Sanders performed during his install. The Ringer's Todd McShay said after the first round he "didn't have a great interview" with Daboll during his private visit with the club.

"An install package came in. Preparation wasn't there for it. [He] got called out on it. Didn't like that. Brian didn't appreciate him not liking it," McShay added.

Albert Breer of The MMQB provided more details about the Giants' install meeting with Sanders, saying the Colorado standout was "pissed" because they intentionally included mistakes in there for him to catch and he didn't like being called out on it.

The Giants clearly weren't alone in not being enamored with Sanders as a prospect. Despite being regarded as a late first-round talent by analysts, he stayed on the board until the fifth round when the Cleveland Browns selected him at pick No. 144 overall.

Dart was selected by the Giants at No. 25 overall when they traded pick Nos. 34, 99 and a 2026 third-round selection to the Houston Texans to move back into the first round.

It's a big bet by the Giants because Dart figures to have a steep development curve given the offense he played in at Ole Miss, but it's one they were clearly comfortable making based on their enthusiasm for him coming out of the pre-draft process.