The G-Men have another Ole Miss quarterback.
Trading back into Thursday’s first round of the NFL draft with the Houston Texans, the New York Giants selected Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart with the No. 25 overall pick, 21 years after the Giants pulled off a draft trade with the San Diego Chargers for Eli Manning in the 2004 NFL Draft.
In a post by the Giants on Friday, Manning welcomed Dart to the four-time Super Bowl champion franchise.
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“Jaxson, congratulations on being drafted by the New York Giants. Obviously, there’s a strong connection between Ole Miss quarterbacks and the Giants going back to Charlie Conerly. I’m excited that tradition will continue with you,” Manning said in the video.
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“… It’s been an honor and a lot of fun rooting for you these last three years at Ole Miss and I look forward to rooting for you for the Giants for the next 15 years,” added Manning.
In his three seasons at Ole Miss, Dart threw for 10,617 yards and 72 career touchdown passes, breaking Manning’s career passing yardage record in the Rebels’ Egg Bowl win over Mississippi State.
Though he likely will not start for the Giants this season — he is part of a congested quarterback room that has Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston and Tommy DeVito — Dart will have big shoes to fill in East Rutherford, New Jersey, when he does take over Manning’s former team.
Manning, who led the Giants to two Super Bowl titles in his 16-year career in the NFL, was named a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame this past season. The 2016 Walter Payton Manning of the Year finished with 57,023 passing yards and 366 touchdowns in his 16 seasons with the Giants.
Dart, who was introduced to the New York media on Friday, once again called Manning a role model of his in the video posted by the Giants, something he has said several times throughout the NFL draft process.
“That is special to me,” Dart said in the video. “Eli has been a huge role model of mine for a while, even before I got to Ole Miss. The relationship that I was able to make with him was truly unique in my time at Ole Miss and I couldn’t be more grateful to have him in my corner and follow in his footsteps.
