Jaxson Dart has the physical tools to be a quarterback in the NFL. His mental awareness and field vision gives him a chance to play really well early.
EAST RUTHERFORD - Jaxson Dart wants to be a thinking man's quarterback.
Don't get it twisted: the New York Giants rookie can certainly play the position with athleticism and grit, and we've already seen that this summer.
But the most significant reason for Dart's recent success: his instincts, an awareness what is going to happen on the other side of the ball and the moments that call for the throws he knows he can make.
Seemingly every big play Dart has made the past week in practice and in the preseason game has come from matching his mind to his physical tools.
It's a big reason why Giants coach Brian Daboll loves the growth he is seeing from the 22-year-old:
Dart is making the difficult look routine.
His touchdown pass in the preseason opener to Lil' Jordan Humphrey was the result of an alert Dart made at the line of scrimmage. The Bills were in man coverage, shading on the inside of the route with safety Damar Hamlin in the middle of the field, and the Giants had a go-ball if they wanted it.
There was no hesitation: Dart took it and the Giants scored from 29 yards out.
In the first of two joint practices this week with the Jets, Dart found Zach Pascal on a back shoulder to close out practice. He allowed the veteran wide receiver the chance to deliver with a circus catch for a TD with a well-placed ball, and Pascal did.
Then in Wednesday's joint practice finale, Dart had enough pocket presence and kept his vision downfield long enough to see Beaux Collins on a scramble drill just outside the red zone. One throw later and the Giants had another passing touchdown.
Getting the little details right is leading to bigger things not necessarily expected of a rookie whose development since training camp opened until now is definitely noticeable by those watching - even more so for those breaking down the plays behind the scenes.
At the start of camp, Dart promised he would not be a robot, and he's held firm on that.
"When you have players that have instincts, which that's a very important quality to have at any position, certainly at the quarterback position, those have to take over," Daboll said. "You don't want guys that are box thinkers. He's got good vision. He's got good awareness. There's going to be times where, he's a young player, that he gets tricked or maybe doesn't do the thing you want him to do, and then you just go back and you correct it just like you would with any other player. But players that have good instincts, they can go out there and play fast and see it."
As Daboll explained after the Giants' preseason victory over the Bills, Dart is proving to be everything he saw on tape from Ole Miss. He has all the tools and the physical gifts, but one of the qualities that can't be taught is moxie, and he has a ton of it to go along with the competitive edge and charisma that makes stars.
One day in the future, the Giants expect Dart to be their starting quarterback, the face of the franchise and the player to whom an entire locker room looks when the chips are down and the game is on the line.
No one can tell Dart it won't happen sooner than anyone anticipates, however. And as the Giants prepare for their second of three preseason games Saturday night against the Jets, if the plan to begin the regular season with Russell Wilson as the starter is not altered - there's no reason to believe it will be, at least not yet - the clock on his playing time is running.
"I'm just trying to take advantage of the opportunities that I get, trying to watch the film as much as I can to go into depth and just keep learning," Dart said. "It's been really cool to play against these caliber players at the highest level, and I think that obviously raises your mindset and your intensity to compete at a really high level each and every day because if you're slacking at all, it's going to show."
Dart has produced splash plays all summer. The simple things connecting all the parts of his game have been most impressive.
"A lot of times these quarterbacks, the ones that can see, are the productive ones," Daboll said. "Talk about see defenders, see defenses, understand spots. It's a very good quality to have as a quarterback."
This will be just the second time inside MetLife Stadium for Dart, the first as the quarterback of the Giants and what he hopes will be the first of many.
"My first time going into the stadium was the Zac Bryan concert," said Dart, who will return for the first time since that night on Saturday. "Just standing there and being able to look at all the great players' names in the stadium, and then just kind of seeing the atmosphere, trying to picture what a sold-out stadium is going to be like and just the energy involved, I can't wait. It's going to be a lot of fun. I hope that the fans come out, and they're super passionate. I hope that we can make a home field advantage for us. But I can't wait, and I know that there's going to be a lot of energy for sure."
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Jaxson Dart: How Giants rookie excels as a thinking man's quarterback
Category: Football
