GREEN BAY, Wis. — Let’s cool it with the Jaxson Dart-Eli Manning comparisons, OK?
Yes, he went to the same school as Manning and even surpassed his all-time passing record that lasted 21 years at Ole Miss, but Dart has a long way to go if he wants to come close to the two-time Super Bowl winner’s legacy in East Rutherford.
The Giants should instead expect their new quarterback to become their version of Jalen Hurts, who Dart has long drawn comparisons to from prominent analysts like ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky.
“I like his intangibles other than just his physical ability, like how he’s able to lead the guys,” Dart said of the Hurts comparisons on the Kay Adams show this week.
And look, Dart turning into Hurts is no small task either. In five short NFL seasons, the 26-year-old Eagles QB already has a Lombardi trophy, a Super Bowl MVP and two Super Bowl appearances in his trophy case. We still don’t know if Dart, 21, will be able to steal the starting job from 36-year-old Russell Wilson this season.
But again, in terms of play style, Dart, a mobile pocket passer whose toughness has been lauded by scouts everywhere, Hurts is the far more accurate player comp. Their draft situations are more comparable too, with Hurts going in Round 2 of the 2020 draft before he blossomed into a championship-level QB. Manning, as most Giants fans know, was the No. 1 pick in 2004 who demanded a trade away from the lowly Chargers.
If general manager Joe Schoen can build a dynamic offensive line around him and Dart can even sniff Hurts’ ceiling, he’ll wind up being an excellent pick. These are a lot of big ifs, of course, but they seem a lot more attainable then Dart morphing into Eli Manning overnight.
And, well, if Dart doesn’t live up to these lofty expectations, he risks turning into another tough, mobile quarterback Big Blue drafted in 2019. For the sake of Giants fans’ sanity, let’s hope that doesn’t happen.
Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription.
Ryan Novozinsky may be reached at rnovozinsky@njadvancemedia.com. You can follow him on X @ryannovoNFL
